Source: Transcendental Graphics / Getty / Negro Leagues
MLB is finally doing right by the outstanding athletes who dominated the Negro Leagues, allowing them to have their rightful place in Baseball's record books.
It has been detected ESPNMLB is finally correcting what it called a “long-standing oversight” by incorporating the Negro Leagues records of more than 2,300 players into its record books.
MLB's ruling greatly benefits legendary Homestead Gray catcher Josh Gibson.
With the move, Josh Gibson passed Ty Cobb to become Major League Baseball's career batting average leader at .372, surpassing Cobb's .367.
Gibson's .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays is now the season standard. Charlie “Chino” Smith is right behind Gibson with his .451 hit for the 1929 New York Lincoln Giants, eclipsing Hugh Duffy, who hit .440 for the National League's Boston team in 1894.
Another huge milestone for Gibson (.718) and OPS (1.177) puts him ahead of the great Babe Ruth (.690 and 1.164) in slugging percentage.
“It's a show of respect for great players who played in the Negro Leagues because of circumstances beyond their control and when those circumstances changed it showed that they were truly great champions,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Perhaps the biggest factor was the success of players who played in the Negro Leagues and then came to the big leagues.”
MLB players are reacting positively to the news
News of the Negro Leagues stats finally being added to the MLB record books is being received positively by players across the league.
“You get to learn about a lot of names and a lot of people that we might not have heard of,” Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen said. said per ESPN. “Now that Josh Gibson is at the top in OPS and batting average and a few other categories, that's great news. But it's more than just that and numbers. It's great that you are now learning about the Negro Leagues players. … I'll be able to do some more deep dives on some names that I might not have heard of.”
Cincinnati Reds catcher Hunter Green said the decision was “long overdue,” adding, “It's really exciting. I'll have to do a little more research and understand some of the history to get my mind back on some of the best players.”
Ty Cobb's great-grandson, Tyrus Cobb, praised the decision.
“Baseball history is part of U.S. history, and I think (the) major leagues recognizing and integrating the Negro Leagues is a huge step in kind of bringing together all the pieces of baseball history,” Cobb said. “And I think it's really, really exciting that there's a new statistical average leader.
Cobb, 32, who works in commercial real estate, also said he would “take a closer look” at Gibson's career after passing Ty Cobb.
Social media reactions to inclusion of blacks in MLB records
While there is plenty of positive sentiment about the decision, it doesn't surprise us that there are people who are HUGE CRAZY about the fact that the Negro Leagues fantasy players are getting their due.
“Bemba Ruth is rolling in her grave” a user in Xex-Twitter, he wrote.
Another user added“I'm not a fan of that, we understand they weren't allowed to play and that sucks, but they didn't count those stats in the majors and they shouldn't count toward MLB records.”
BIG MAD, indeed.
Fortunately, their opinions don't matter.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
