{"id":31768,"date":"2017-08-23T16:56:45","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T20:56:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/?p=31768"},"modified":"2017-08-31T15:37:40","modified_gmt":"2017-08-31T19:37:40","slug":"negro-leagues-db-update-1937-negro-american-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/23\/negro-leagues-db-update-1937-negro-american-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Negro Leagues DB Update: 1937 Negro American League"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a brief, belated introduction to the 1937 Negro American League<\/a>, which we added to the site last month (July 10, to be precise). For a broader view of that eventful year in black baseball history, see my entry on the 1937 Negro National League<\/a>, which we added to the DB back in 2015. Meanwhile, here are a view highlights from the first season of the NAL, a Midwest-based league that was the true successor of Rube Foster\u2019s original NNL.<\/p>\n

\u2022The team with the best overall record in the league was the Cincinnati Tigers<\/a>, managed by Double Duty Radcliffe<\/strong><\/a>, and starring ace Jess Houston<\/strong><\/a> (8-3, 2.19) and shortstop Howard Easterling<\/strong><\/a> (.355\/.400\/.595). Like the 1981 Cincinnati Reds<\/a>, though, the Tigers failed to win either half of the NAL\u2019s split season.<\/p>\n

\u2022Luck instead favored the two most dominant clubs from the old NNL, the Kansas City Monarchs<\/a> and Chicago American Giants, who won the first and second halves, respectively. The Monarchs, featuring Hilton Smith<\/strong><\/a> (11-4, 1.65) and outfielder Willard Brown<\/strong><\/a> (.372\/.423\/.661), took the championship series in five games.<\/p>\n

\u2022The Indianapolis Athletics<\/a> were a brand-new club, organized and managed by Ted Strong, Sr.<\/strong><\/a>, who was fortunate enough to have an extravagantly talented son, Ted Strong, Jr.<\/strong><\/a>, to play shortstop and bat cleanup for him. (The younger Strong, who later starred for the Kansas City Monarchs, was also a great basketball player for the Harlem Globetrotters.) The Athletics, however, folded after the 1937 season.<\/p>\n

\u2022On May 16 Hilton Smith of the Kansas City Monarchs tossed an opening day no-hitter, beating the American Giants 4 to 0 in Kansas City.<\/p>\n

\u2022On July 24 in Dayton, Ohio, lefty Roy Partlow<\/strong><\/a> of the Cincinnati Tigers struck out 18 batters in a 10-4 win over the Birmingham Black Barons.<\/p>\n

\u2022The Monarchs\u2019 Eddie Dwight,<\/strong><\/a> who hit .235, had as many stolen bases as he did hits (20 for both, in 31 games), and even more walks than either (24). His teammate Henry Milton<\/strong><\/a> stole 29 bases.<\/p>\n

\u2022No World Series was organized between the Monarchs and the Homestead Grays, champions of the NNL. But a combined team of American Giants and Monarchs played a series against a combined team of Grays and Newark Eagles, the eastern team winning 6 out of 7 games. Over the course of the series, which was played in Chicago, Indianapolis, Dayton, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Brooklyn, the press just started referring to it as a Grays\/American Giants series, so that\u2019s how we\u2019ve treated it in the stats here.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Patrick Rock<\/strong> for providing Kansas City Call<\/em> coverage for 1937, as well as Larry Lester<\/strong> and Wayne Stivers<\/strong> for filling in some gaps with other hard-to-find box scores.<\/p>\n

Up next: 1945 through 1948 Negro leagues. On deck: Mexican League, East-West All-Star Games, various Cuban season. We\u2019re also working on adding the third leg of the 1937 season, the (in)famous Dominican championship.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Players for the Indianapolis Athletics of the 1937 NAL, including manager Ted Strong and his son, Ted Strong, Jr.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a brief, belated introduction to the 1937 Negro American League, which we added to the site last month (July 10, to be precise). For a broader view of that eventful year in black baseball history, see my entry on the 1937 Negro National League, which we added to the DB back in 2015. Meanwhile, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":809,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,16162,4235],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-negro-lgs","category-top-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t