On Wednesday, Major League Baseball made the monumental decision to add the statistics of the Negro Leagues into their official record books, forever changing the landscape of MLB’s all-time leaderboards.
The Negro Leagues refer to the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in 1920 that have been officially recognized by Major League Baseball. They were born out of necessity and a love for the game by Black Americans who were excluded from the Majors purely because of the color of their skin.
With Wednesday’s announcement, the statistics of more than 2,300 Negro Leagues ballplayers from 1920-1948 are now integrated intot he MLB.com database. The statistics and records of seven different Negro Leagues share equal weight with the American League, National League and other major leagues in history.
“We are proud that the official historical record now includes the players of the Negro Leagues,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said. “This initiative is focused on ensuring that future generations of fans have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who made the Negro Leagues possible.
“Their accomplishments on the field will be a gateway to broader learning about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson’s 1947 Dodger debut.”
The changes have had an enormous impact on MLB’s record books, with Josh Gibson taking ownership of several records and others now taking their places inside the top-10 for various statistics.
Gibson has by far been the biggest beneficiary of the integration, as he now owns the best single season batting average with his .466 average in 1943. Gibson is also MLB’s career leader in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging percentage.
In the process, Gibson has overtook former MLB legends, including Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams.
Hall of Famers like Willie Mays, Willard Brown, Roy Campanella, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Minnie Miñoso, Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson also benefit from this change. Their career statistics now reflect their accomplishments in the Negro Leagues as well as their success in MLB.
Dodgers who receive Negro Leagues stats
Robinson and Campanella are two Dodgers greats who have seen their statistics increase.
Robinson’s 49 hits for the 1945 Kansas City Monarchs increases his career hits total from 1,518 to 1,567 and raises his career batting average from .311 to .313. Campanella’s 274 additional hits give him 1,435 and his 167 RBI bring him to 1,023 for his career.
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