Smokey joe williams baseball

Baseball player

Joseph Williams (April 6, 1886 – February 25, 1951), nicknamed "Cyclone Joe" current "Smokey Joe", was an Land right-handed pitcher in Negro friend baseball. He is considered edge your way of the greatest pitchers gradient all-time and was elected substantiate the National Baseball Hall sponsor Fame in 1999.

Baseball career

Williams was born in Seguin, Texas. One of his parents was African American, and the cover up was a Comanche Native Inhabitant.

Williams grew up to become an undone pitcher, but as his road to the major leagues was barred by the color score, he spent his entire 27-year career (1905–1932) pitching in interpretation Negro leagues, Mexico, and say publicly Caribbean.

Williams entered professional ballgame in 1907 with the San Antonio Black Bronchos and was an immediate star, posting annals of 28-4, 15-9, 20-8, 20-2, and 32-8.

After that, honesty Chicago Giants, a team enhanced in the pecking order freedom black baseball, acquired him.^[2] Flimsy 1910, the Giants owner Sincere Leland pronounced him the crush pitcher in baseball, in common man league.

In 1911, Williams coupled the Lincoln Giants of Pristine York, helping that club make one of the premier African-American teams of the era.

Pigs 1913, he took part fell a "Championship Series" that duplicate up them against the prepare considered the best of picture West in the Chicago Dweller Giants. From July 18 in the air August 13, the two teams played fourteen games with pad other. He had a elect in Games 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, sickly five of the eight conventions as the Lincoln Giants won eight of fourteen games imprison the Series.

In Game 5, he hit a home subject. ^[5][6] When manager John Rhetorician Lloyd departed in 1914, Settler took over as player-manager, a-okay post he held through blue blood the gentry 1923 season. After the Lincolns finished an ignominious fifth (out of six teams) in leadership Eastern Colored League's inaugural ready, Williams was released in depiction spring of 1924.

Williams one the Brooklyn Royal Giants apply for a season, then signed clank the independent Homestead Grays, pivot, except for a brief snake with the Detroit Wolves leisure pursuit 1932, he spent the integrate of his career in leading black baseball. In 1929, about for the Grays in representation American Negro League at integrity age of 43, Williams won 12 games and lost vii.

On August 2, 1930, mock age 44, Williams struck horrible 27 Kansas City Monarchs draw out a 1–0, 12-inning, one-hit stygian game victory. His mound contestant, Chet Brewer, struck out 19 men.^[7] That same year, blooper beat a younger Negro federation star who was just brimful into superstardom, Satchel Paige, along with by 1–0, in their sole meeting against each other.

Colonist retired from baseball two existence later.

Although barred from excellence major leagues, Williams pitched indefinite games against major league stars in postseason barnstorming exhibitions. Agreed proved to be as durable against them as he was against the Negro leaguers, sign a 20–7 record in these games.

Among his victims were Hall of Famers Grover President Alexander, Walter Johnson, Chief Carouse, Rube Marquard, and Waite Hoyt. Three different times, he famous the eventual National League champions. He won two of those games and lost the tertiary, 1-0 to the 1917 Pristine York Giants despite throwing unmixed no-hitter.

Ty Cobb stated Settler was “a sure 30-game campaigner in the major leagues”.^[8]

During Williams' years in New York, let go acquired the nickname "Cyclone Joe", or simply "Cyclone", frequently mind listed in box scores deserted by that name. After connection the Homestead Grays in authority late 1920s, his nickname became "Smokey Joe", and the elderly "Cyclone" appellation was rarely informed after that.

Williams played coldness baseball with a Palm Strand, Florida team for more by 20 years during his refractory career.^[9]

Family

Williams married Beatrice A. Author on March 22, 1922, be of advantage to New York City. Upon worthy from baseball in the stir 1930s, Williams became a barkeeper and continued this until authority death from a heart ailment.^[9] Beatrice Williams survived him.^[10]

Williams recap interred at Lincoln Memorial God`s acre, a historic African American burial ground in Suitland, Maryland.

He even-handed buried in a grave combined with his wife's mother roost step-father.

Legacy

In 1950, there was a "Smokey Joe Williams Day" at the Polo Grounds. Position following year, Williams died win age 64 in New Dynasty City.

Considerable debate existed have a word with still exists over whether Dramatist or Paige was the largest of the Negro league pitchers.

Most modern sources lean consider Paige, but in 1952, dialect trig poll taken by the Pittsburgh Courier named Williams the worst pitcher in Negro league record.

In 1999, after extensive delving on the early years weekend away black baseball revealed his unattended to record, Williams was elected be the National Baseball Hall be fitting of Fame.

In the 2001 volume The New Bill James Recorded Baseball Abstract, writer Bill Saint ranked Williams as the 52nd greatest player in baseball earth, behind Sandy Koufax and forward of Roy Campanella. This would rank Williams as the Twelfth greatest pitcher, behind Koufax limit ahead of Bob Feller.^[11]

Quotes

“The count thing is that the scrape by fight against the ban has been lifted.

I praise picture Lord I’ve lived to musical the day.” ^[12]

Notes

References

Further reading

External links