12/24/2021
The Sporting News Top 50 Greatest seasons in SPORTS HISTORY: Some of the greatest athletes have been defined by a single season.
#29. Josh Gibson, 1943
Baseball owes a debt of gratitude to those who have researched tirelessly to collect statistics from the various Negro Leagues. These numbers help provide context and clarity for the stories and legends we’ve heard about these great ballplayers. We know now, for example, some of the numbers behind the legend of Josh Gibson. In 1943 for the Homestead Grays, Gibson produced an awe-inspiring .466/.560/.867 slash line in 69 games, to go with 20 homers, 109 RBIs, 93 runs scored, 22 doubles and nine triples. Even though The Sporting News essentially ignored Black baseball players at the time, even TSN, in its first-ever mention of Gibson, called him “the Babe Ruth of the Negro loop.” And we know about stars such as Bullet Rogan, who pitched and hit for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro National League; in 1925, Rogan posted a 1.74 ERA in 155 1/3 innings, and batted .360 with a 1.016 OPS in 145 plate appearances. Research on the Negro Leagues — seven were recognized as “official” major leagues by MLB in December 2020 — continues, and hopefully we’ll have a fuller picture and even more accurate statistical records in the future.
sportingnews.com - We love to celebrate the great individual moments in sports. Kirk Gibson’s home run in the 1988 World Series. Brandi Chastain’s winning goal to end …
