OTD at Ebbets Field 9/8/1935: In the Crispus Attucks Community Council Benefit Doubleheader, the Philly Stars and New York Cubans Play to Nine-Inning Tie; Pittsburgh Crawfords Defeat Brooklyn Eagles

From the desk: WHERE THE EAGLES LEARNED TO FLY

The New York Age, Saturday, September 7, 1935

On Sunday, September 8, 1935, a charity doubleheader is staged at Ebbets Field for the Crispus Attucks Community Council of Brooklyn.  "The Council, named for a Negro patriot killed in the Boston Massacre of 1770, conducts relief work among Brooklyn's Negros."

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Saturday, September 7, 1935

The first game pits the New York Cubans, winners of the Negro National League's second half, against the 1934 champion Philadelphia Stars.  The second game features the Pittsburgh Crawfords, the Negro National League first-half winners, versus the Brooklyn Eagles.  No less than ten future Hall of Famers, including the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, participate in the twin bill benefit.

The New York Age, Saturday, September 7, 1935

Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), Saturday, September 7, 1935

"The Cubans-Philly game will be a grudge battle because it was the Cubans, second-half champions, who knocked the Stars out of a chance to defend their league title in a series the other weekend." - Times-Union.

NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

PHILADELPHIA STARS vs. NEW YORK CUBANS

GAME ONE - The Philadelphia Stars and New York Cubans duel to a two-all tie.  Extra innings are not played to begin the second game on time.  

Right-hander Webster McDonald starts for Philadelphia and is opposed by Johnny Taylor for New York.  After five scoreless innings, Philly takes a 2-0 lead in the sixth.  The Cubans knot the game in the eighth.  Johnny Taylor yields just two hits and three walks with five strikeouts through seven innings pitched.  In relief of Taylor, southpaw Neck Stanley allows one hit and one walk over the final two innings.  Webster McDonald surrenders nine hits, two for extra bases, and three walks with six strikeouts. 

Left fielder Chaney White, second baseman Obie Lackey, and center fielder Lloyd Davenport account for Philadelphia's three hits.  Meanwhile, first baseman Jud Wilson and catcher Biz Mackey are held hitless in four at-bats apiece.  Right fielder Ted Page and McDonald score for Philly.

New York left fielder Lázaro Salazar leads the Cubans with three hits, including a double.  Center fielder Alejandro Oms also doubles.  Playing third base, Martín Dihigo and right fielder Clyde Spearman each singled and scored.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Monday, September 9, 1935

NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

PITTSBURGH CRAWFORDS vs. BROOKLYN EAGLES

GAME TWO - The Brooklyn Eagles open with a run in the third, but the Crawfords promptly answer with two in the fourth.  Brooklyn ties the score in the bottom half of the fourth, then retakes the lead in fifth.  But the Eagles would score no more.  Pittsburgh left-hander Leroy Matlock holds the Eagles scoreless over the final four frames.  

In the meantime, the Crawfords erupt for two runs in the sixth, three in the seventh, and five more in the eighth.  After holding Pittsburgh hitless over the first three innings, Brooklyn Eagle starter Leon Day is knocked out of the box, but not before yielding twelve runs on twelve hits and five walks with three strikeouts through 7.1 innings pitched.  Right-hander Will Jackman fares no better, allowing four hits while failing to retire a batter.  In relief of Jackman, Terris McDuffie limits the Crawfords to a single hit over the final 1.2 innings.

The Crawfords get credited with eight outfield putouts and fifteen infield putouts but only three infield assists and one by shortstop Chester Williams.  The point here is the Brooklyn Eagles make solid contact, alas to no avail.  First baseman George Giles and second baseman Harry Williams lead Brooklyn with two hits each.  Williams and left fielder Fats Jenkins both hit for extra bases and scored.  Catcher Tex Burnett accounts for Brooklyn's third run.  But it's worth noting Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe was not a participant.  Otherwise, Pittsburgh Crawford starter Leroy Matlock allows eight hits and no walks with three strikeouts for the win.

All nine Crawford batters hit safely.  Chester Williams and Matlock lead the team with three hits each.  Leadoff man Cool Papa Bell wields two hits and scored twice; catcher Josh Gibson goes 2 for 4 with two runs scored; first baseman Oscar Charleston singled and scored in four trips, and third baseman Judy Johnson and right fielder Jimmy Crutchfield each hit for extra bases.

The Negro National League championship games between the 

Pittsburgh Crawford and the New York Cubans are forthcoming.

OTD in Eastern Colored League History 5/17/1926: Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Oscar Charleston Managed Harrisburg Giants

From the desk: DEM BARNSTORMERS

Delaware County Daily Times

On Monday, May 17, 1926, in a game featuring Eastern Colored League members, the Brooklyn Royal Giants defeat the Oscar Charleston managed Harrisburgh Giants on their grounds by the final score, 10 to 6.  Heavy rain delayed the game in the sixth, and in the eighth, ended it.  

While Oscar Charleston patrolled center field, the Harrisburgh Giants also featured outfielders Rap Dixon and Fats Jenkins and third baseman John Beckwith.  The 1926 Royal Giants are managed by Jock Waters.  They are being headlined by Jesse Hubbard, Bill Holland, Charlie Smith, and of course, Dick "Cannonball" Redding.

The Evening Journal, Wilmington, Delaware

⚾

Negro Leagues Baseball at Ebbets Field: The Brooklyn Brown Dodgers

From the desk: 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL AT EBBETS FIELD

PART II of III: THE BROOKLYN BROWN DODGERS

Ebbets Field stages major league baseball games for forty-five-years but only hosts brief interludes with African-American leagues and teams.

Its last dalliance comes in the United States Negro Baseball League established in 1945 by baseball impresario Gus Greenlee intending to compete against the Negro National League II and Negro American League.  Although not the team of acclaim, Gus Greenlee resurrects the Pittsburgh Crawfords for league play.  Upon learning of Greelee's endeavor, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey joins the circuit in May with a full pledge of support.  In a press conference, he offers access to Ebbets Field and twenty-two other ballparks under organizational control.  Rickey negotiates a deal with Joseph W. Hall to transfer his reincarnated Hilldale club to Brooklyn, where they are to be rebranded as the Brown Dodgers.  Branch Rickey's next move is hiring Negro Leagues great Oscar Charleston to manage the team.  However, Rickey's interest in the league is a ruse through which he seeks to more expeditiously and efficiently facilitate baseball's desegregation.  In truth, Charleston is tasked with clandestinely scouting African-American players for Branch Rickey.

By October 1945, Rickey finds his man.  Once assured his selection is not under binding contract with the Kansas City Monarchs, Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson and assigns him to the Dodgers minor league affiliate at Montreal.

 

On the day Robinson is signed in 1945, here's what Rickey had to say about the Negro Leagues, according to author William C. Rhoden in his book Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete:  "There is no Negro League as such as far as I'm concerned. [They] are not leagues and have no right to expect organized baseball to respect them." - excerpt from Aaron Leibowitz, The Cauldron.com

It's during this time Oscar Charleston urges Branch Rickey to sign ten-year Negro Leagues catcher Roy Campanella.  Jackie Robinson nor Campanella ever play an inning in the United States League.  Meanwhile, Branch Rickey's interest in the circuit ends post haste.  The Brown Dodgers are reorganized under George Armstrong with help from Gus Greenlee.  However, the fledgling league folds after the 1946 season.  

Insofar as the baseball games themselves, the Brown Dodgers are said to play middling baseball and typically drew crowds of around 2,000 for double-headers, according to covehurst.net.  In 1946, the Brown Dodgers reportedly played 27 games, finishing with an 8-19 record. 

Albeit a fleeting endeavor, the United States Negro Baseball League nevertheless marks the third and final time Ebbets Field is significantly associated with Negro League baseball.

Part I: The Brooklyn Eagles

In 1935 the Brooklyn Eagles became the only Negro National League II member club to play a full regular season at Ebbets Field.  Before the 1936 season, team owners Abe and Effa Manley relocate the Eagles to Newark.

• Before Defining Themselves in Newark, the Negro National League Eagles Learn to Fly in Brooklyn

When Paterson Was The World: Negro Leagues Baseball at Hinchliffe Stadium

From the desk of: NEGRO LEAGUES CENTENNIAL

1932  ~  HINCHLIFFE STADIUM  ~  1997

"SILK CITY STADIUM"

Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Passaic River and neighboring Great Falls, New Jersey's historic Hinchliffe Stadium is named after the depression era Paterson Mayor John Hinchliffe.  Built during his administration, the park is one of just a few ballparks still standing to host Negro Leagues baseball games.

• Others include famous Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama; Hamtramck Stadium in Hamtramck, Michigan; Cooper Stadium, Columbus, Ohio; Cleveland's League Park and Jacksonville's J.P. Small Memorial Stadium.

Paterson resident John Ellerbee is one among a crew of locals who help build Hinchliffe Stadium - a 10,000 capacity cast concrete oval in Art Deco style, with an infield configuration and outfield dimensions somewhat resembling those of the Polo Grounds.  On July 8, 1932, Hinchliffe opened for business.  Third baseman John Ellerbee plays at Hinchliffe with the Paterson semi-pro Smart Set club alongside two young teammates named Monte Irvin and Larry Doby.

Barnstormers and independents immediately flock to Hinchliffe - which provided unsegregated seating and racially integrated play.  As word spread, Hinchliffe became known not only as on the most beautiful but one of the most welcoming stadiums in the state, according to Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium.

Negro National League II Arrives at
 Hinchliffe Stadium

I - NEW YORK BLACK YANKEES (1931-1948)

Founded in 1931 as the independent Harlem Black Bombers, then rebranded as the New York Harlem Stars, the club initially plays home games at the Polo Grounds and Dykman Oval in upper Manhattan.  By 1932 the club is recognized as the New York Black Yankees partly owned by famous entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

• According to NegroLeagueMuseum.com, the New York Black Yankees franchise is basically an extension of the New York Lincoln Giants who fold after the 1930 season.  In 1931 John Henry "Pop" Loyd managed the Harlem Stars' interim team, which serves as a bridge between the two long-time franchises.

In 1933 they take up residence at Hinchliffe Stadium and stay through 1937, then return during the 1939-1945 seasons.  For one season in 1938, they play home games at Triborough Stadium on Randall's Island, and from 1941 through 1947, they also famously play at Yankee Stadium.

On Sept. 22, 1933, Hinchliffe Stadium hosts the "Colored Championship of the Nation" featuring the New York Black Yankees versus the Philadelphia Stars.  The latter defeat the Black Yankees fourteen runs to eight.  The 1933 Stars feature Hall of Fame members Jud Wilson and Biz Mackey, while the Black Yankees boast notables Walter Cannady, Fats Jenkins, John Beckwith, George Scales, and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe.

On July 13, 1935, New York Black Yankees pitcher Terris McDuffie pitches an 8-0 no-hitter against House of David at Hinchliffe Stadium.  Led at the plate by Dave Thomas, Thad Christopher, and Pete Washington, the New York Black Yankees top the 1935 Independent Clubs standings.

In 1936 they joined the Negro National League II.  Over the next twelve seasons, Hall of Famers Willie Wells, Mule Suttles, and Satchel Paige variously take turns donning a Black Yankees uniform and plying their respective talents in front of NY/NJ metropolitan area crowds.

But to thwart declining attendance due to Jackie Robinson's arrival at Ebbets Field and to separate themselves from other metro area competition (namely the New York Cubans and Brooklyn Royal Giants), the Black Yankees uproot local operations after the 1947 season and relocate to upstate Rochester, N.Y., where after the 1948 season they ultimately fold all operations.

II - NEW YORK CUBANS II (1935-1950)

The New York Cubans (reorganized under owner Alex Pompez) also take up residence at Hinchliffe Stadium in time for the 1935 season and, like the Black Yankees, waste no time hosting some of the game's premier teams and players.

The Pittsburgh Crawfords capture the 1935 Negro National League II first-half title and finish in first place overall, while the New York Cubans recover from a poor start to finish the season in third place and win the second half flag.  On Sept. 13, Hinchliffe Stadium hosts game one of the Championship Series.  The Paterson watches Cubans starter Frank Blake yield just four hits against a Crawfords lineup that features such greats as Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Pat Patterson, Judy Johnson, Sam Bankhead, Cool Papa Bell, and Jimmie Crutchfield.  

Facing Pittsburgh starter Harry Kincannon, New York's lineup featuring Lázaro Salazar, Alejandro Oms, Martín Dihigo, Rap Dixon, Clyde Spearman, and Dave Thomas defeat the Crawfords nine to three.  Games two and three are held at the Polo Grounds.  In-game two, New York's John "Neck" Stanley whitewashes the Crawfords on just four hits.  The series then shifts to Pittsburgh.  In game four, Martin Dihigo is opposed by Crawfords' starter Leroy Matlock.  New York wins the game six to one, giving the Cubans a commanding 3-1 series lead.  However, the Crawfords win game five at Pittsburgh, then sweep the next two games held at Philadelphia to win the championship.

After 1936 the New York Cubans fail to field a team for the next two seasons.

They resume playing in 1939 as members of the Negro National League II.  

In 1941, the New York Cubans line-up featured Caribbean Leagues star Juan "Tetelo" Vargas (who leads the team with a .327 average) and Pedro Cepeda (father to Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda).  Others include Ramón Heredia, Clemente "Sungo" Carreras, Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre, and Dave Barnhill.  The Homestead Grays are first-half champs and finish in first place overall.  New York wins the second-half flag, but bow to the Homestead Grays three games to one in the Championship Series.

The Cubans in 1943 and 1944 post-back-to-back second-place finishes again behind the Homestead Grays.

At the same time Jackie Robinson is breaking in with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Cubans are still splitting games between Hinchliffe and the Polo Grounds.  In 1947 the Newark Eagles won the Negro National League II first-half flag, and the Cubans win the second half flag and finish in first place overall.  There is no playoff, and thus New York is declared the champion.  Led by Luis "Lefty" Tiant (father of Boston Red Sox pitching great Luis Tiant) and Orestes "Minnie" Minoso, the New York Cubans go on to defeat the Negro American League champion Cleveland Buckeyes for the 1947 Negro World Series Championship.

The New York Cubans affiliation with the Negro National League II ends after the 1948 season.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation says the (independent) New York Cubans continue playing games at Hinchliffe Stadium until the team folded in 1950.

Newark Eagles Swoop Through
 Hinchliffe Stadium

Hailing from nearby Orange, N.J., Monte Irvin plays ball for East Orange High School and the Paterson semi-pro Smart Set when, during a Newark Eagles tryout at Hinchliffe Stadium, he is scouted and signed in 1937 by Abe Manley.  Monte makes a brief debut in 1938 as a 19-year old but effectively begins his Hall of Fame career in earnest the following season.  Shortly after that, a 17-year old local Paterson resident Larry Doby in 1942 is likewise signed by Abe Manley during a Newark Eagles tryout held at Hinchliffe Stadium.  However, Doby's upbringing is far more intertwined and, for that matter, intimately connected with Paterson's sports complex, for Larry is All-State in football, basketball, and baseball.  In 1941 and 1942, he leads Eastside High School to consecutive championships at Hinchliffe Stadium.  Monte and Larry play at Hinchliffe as teammates with the Smart Set; they visit Hinchliffe together as members of the Newark Eagles; then oppose each other in the 1954 World Series pitting the New York Giants versus the Cleveland Indians.  They are two of only four players to play in both a Negro World Series and a major league World Series, according to Negro League Baseball Museum.

List of Legends Who Play at Hinchliffe Stadium

American Hall of Fame/Cuban Hall of Fame

Over twenty future Hall of Famers
play games at Hinchliffe Stadium:

JOSH GIBSON    OSCAR CHARLESTON    SATCHEL PAIGE    WILLIE FOSTER  

LARRY DOBY    MONTE IRVIN

WILLIAM "Judy" JOHNSON    JAMES "Cool Papa" BELL    JOHN HENRY "Pop" LOYD

JAMES "Biz" MACKEY    GEORGE "Mule" SUTTLES

RAY DANDRIDGE    WILLIE WELLS    JUD WILSON    TURKEY STEARNS 

BUCK LEONARD    LEON DAY    RAY BROWN

American/Cuban Hall of Fame
MARTÍN DIHIGO **

Cuban Hall of Fame
ALEJANDRO OMS    LÁZARO SALAZAR

As Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby begin integrating major league baseball and other premiere African-American players follow, so begins the Negro Leagues baseball enterprise's demise.  Hinchliffe Stadium is forced into hosting more varied sporting events such as boxing and auto racing.  In 1963 the Paterson school district took over ownership of the stadium.  It remains in use through the 1980s when the original dirt and grass playing surface is replaced with astroturf.  The infield is also rotated clockwise from its actual alignment.  All the while, Hinchliffe Stadium falls further and further into widespread disrepair.  By 1997 extensive deterioration and matters of public safety force its closure. Hinchliffe is chained shut and ignored, left unattended to fend against relentless nature and weathering.

Finally, the restoration of Hinchliffe Stadium begins in earnest when in 2013, the National Park Service designates the park as a National Historic Landmark.  It also stands as baseball's only Historic Landmark.  Seven years later, the National Trust for Historic Preservation lists the stadium as one of the country's most endangered historic places.  Both are essential steps towards renovating the complex.  Last year, work commenced on the facade, ticket windows, decorative tile, main entrance gate, and (most recently) the cast concrete stadium signs.

Better yet, the Paterson city council earlier this month (August) approved a tax break for developers to rebuild their historic stadium.  The mega project includes senior housing, parking, and a restaurant.  Groundbreaking is expected in October with a grand opening in two years, according to newyork.cbs.com.

Larry Doby "... had fond memories of those times." - Larry Doby Jr.

Hopefully, Larry's field of dreams is restored in a manner befitting its former glory.

Pulling "Double Duty" at Ebbets Field: Negro Leagues Great Ted Radcliffe

From the desk of: 100th ANNIVERSARY NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL

The Season Ted Radcliffe Pulls 

"Double Duty" at Ebbets Field

New York City author and syndicated sportswriter Damon Runyon indeed is responsible for devising the famous sobriquet "Double Duty" after witnessing Ted Radcliffe play behind the plate in the first game of a championship doubleheader, then with great proficiency pitch the second game at Yankee Stadium.

"Runyon ... gave me that name - that it's worth the price of admission of two to see Double Duty Radcliffe in action." - Ted Radcliffe

That quote is from the Black Diamonds interviews (1978) with Stephen Banker.  These recordings are invaluable.  In listening to Mr. Radcliffe, I hear a very affable, straightforward, endearingly, strong-minded person.  So, in the name of history, and in honor of the 100th anniversary of the original Negro National League founded in 1920 by Rube Foster, please allow me to respectfully stir up some trouble.

Mr. Radcliffe opens the interview saying the nickname dates back from the 1931 championship series between his Homestead Grays versus the New York Lincoln Giants.  My heart says to go along with it.  However, I'm afraid that Double Duty misspeaks.  The Lincoln Giants cease operations after the 1930 season.  I also disagree with Britannica insofar as Homestead's opponent is the New York Black Yankees.  Radcliffe correctly recalls playing the 1931 championship series as a member of the independent Homestead Grays.  That much is true.  However, according to the Center for Negro Leagues Baseball Research, Homestead defeats the Kansas City Monarchs six games to three.  Radcliffe is a teammate alongside, among other numerous greats, Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston.  However, the same holds true for 1932 when they are members of the Pittsburgh Crawfords - a simple oversight over 45-years later.  For reference sake, there is an L.A. Times version regarding his nickname I believe to be the correct one: Double Duty and the independent Pittsburgh Crawfords oppose the Monroe Monarchs (of the Negro Southern League) in 1932 at Yankee Stadium.

First off, the matchup itself is made possible when the original Negro National League folded in 1931, and the Negro Southern League (a minor circuit established in 1920 by Tom Wilson) is declared major for the upcoming 1932 season until a new Negro National League II is established in time for the 1933 season.  The 1932 Monroe Monarchs finish the regular season in second place with a 34-14 overall record, just one game and mere percentage points behind the Chicago American Giants. Meanwhile, the Nashville Elite Giants, despite finishing the regular season in fourth place, are second-half champs (league standings according to Seamheads).  Chicago (first-half and regular season champs) and Nashville square off in a best five of nine championship series.  According to the Center for Negro Leagues Baseball Research,  Nashville wins two of three games in Chicago.  The American Giants then square the series, winning two of three at Nashville.  Chicago wins games seven and eight to clinch the championship.  According to Baseball-Reference, the Monroe Monarchs dispute the regular season standings and their lack of post-season consideration and defyingly proceed forward with a championship series against the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

Circling back to the interview and the original double-header in question, I believe Radcliffe is spot on when he recalls being behind the plate for Satchel Paige, who wins game one (4-0), then serves double duty on the mound (whitewashing the Monroe Monarchs, 3-0) at Yankee Stadium.

Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe makes his professional debut in 1928 as a catcher with the Detroit Stars.  After which, he variously plays for the St. Louis Stars, the aforementioned Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, and the Columbus Blue Birds, until coming east in 1933 to play with the New York Black Yankees.  By 1934 he is back west with the fabled Chicago American Giants.

In 1935, twelve years before Jackie Robinson's arrival at 55 Sullivan Place, all-time negro league great Double Duty plays home games donning a Brooklyn uniform at Ebbets Field.  He is enticed by better pay to join Brooklyn, where the Eagles kick off their inaugural season.  At the plate, he bats .268 and posts a 4-6 record on the mound, according to Negro Leagues Museum, with 21 strikeouts in 11 games, and 57.2 innings pitched according to Seamheads.  Another source points out Radcliffe has trouble securing his release from the Brooklyn Eagles but eventually succeeds.  By late June, he plays for the integrated Bismarck Churchills, where he joins future Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, and other players familiar with him.  Together they win the first National Semi-Pro Championship.

The Brooklyn Eagles are owned by Abe and Effa Manley, who promptly relocate the Eagles to Newark before the 1936 season.  Thus rendering 1935 Brooklyn's lone season as a participating member in the Negro National League II.  For one season, at least, the cast of future Hall of Famers and league standouts who (potentially) play at Ebbets Field is a veritable roll call of baseball legends.

1935 Negro National League-II Comes to Ebbets Field:

• Brooklyn Eagles - Double Duty is teammates with Hall of Famer Leon Day, outfielders Rap Dixon, Fatz Jenkins, Ed Stone, and first baseman George Giles.

• Pittsburgh Crawfords - treat Ebbets Field fans with Hall of Famers Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson, Cool Papa Bell, and standouts Pat Patterson, Sam Bankhead, Leroy Matlock, and Spoon Carter.  

• Columbus Elite Giants - star pitchers Jim Willis and Andy Porter pitch from the Ebbets Field mound.

• New York Cubans - hailing locally from Hinchliffe Stadium in Patterson, N.J., Ebbets Field crowds welcome Hall of Famer Martin Dihigo and Cuban Hall of Famers Alejandro Oms and Lazaro Salazar.  

• Homestead Grays - Ebbets Field crowds also witness Hall of Famers Buck Leonard and Ray Brown and top players Tommy Dukes and Matt Carlisle.  

• Chicago American Giants - Mule Suttles, Willie Foster, Turkey Stearns, and Willie Wells, all in the Hall of Fame, all play at Ebbets.

• Philadelphia Stars - Hall of Famer Biz Mackey, and outfielders Ted Page and Jake Dunn.  

• Newark Dodgers - Hall of Famer Ray Dandridge and outfielder Jim Williams.  

• Seamheads.com

Picking up in 1936, Ted Radcliffe spends the rest of his playing career with the Cincinnati Tigers, Memphis Red Sox, Birmingham Black Barons, Louisville Buckeyes, and Kansas City Monarchs.  Double Duty also puts in overtime as player/manager of the Cleveland Tigers in 1937, Memphis Red Sox (1938-1941), and the Chicago American Giants in 1943.

According to Seamheads, the right-hander posts a career 47-37 record and 3.94 ERA against negro leagues competition with 302 strikeouts in 627.2 innings pitched.  However, SABR member Gary Livacari takes things a leap forward by writing Radcliffe "is thought to have won about 500 games and had 4,000 strikeouts."

In Black Diamonds, Double Duty says the best game he ever pitched occurs while managing the Memphis Red Sox; he throws fourteen scoreless innings.  Opposing him is Satchel Paige, who hurls seven scoreless innings before yielding to the bullpen.  The game ends in a scoreless tie due to darkness.  

At the plate, biographer Kyle P. McNary estimates that Radcliffe owns a .303 lifetime batting average, 4,000 career hits, and 400 home runs in 36-years, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Radcliffe plays in multiple East-West All-Star games as both a pitcher and catcher.  He says one of his biggest thrills comes during the 1944 East-West All-Star Game.  Trailing midway against the East, Radcliffe's brother Alec triples, and Double Duty follows with a home run hit into Comiskey Park's upper deck, giving the West All-Stars the lead.

Needless to say, Double Duty's candidacy for baseball's Hall of Fame needs some drastic reconsideration.