It’s a monumental week in baseball history, as Negro Leagues statistics officially will become part of Major League Baseball’s historical record on Wednesday.
The incorporation, first reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, comes 3 1/2 years after MLB initially announced it would be elevating the Negro Leagues to major-league status and allows for America’s entire baseball history to be told through numbers without leaving anyone out.
Former Giants slugger Barry Bonds, however, no longer will hold a couple of records after the Negro Leagues integration, including his single-season slugging percentage mark (.863) in 2001 and his single-season OPS record (1.421) in 2004 — both of which now are owned by Hall of Fame catcher Josh Gibson.
Gibson spent his entire career in the Negro Leagues from 1930, 1933-40 and 1942-46, and now will become MLB’s single-season record holder in batting average (.466 in 1943), slugging percentage (.974 in 1937) and OPS (1.474 in 1937) after the statistics integration. He also becomes MLB’s career leader in all three categories.
“When you hear Josh Gibson’s name now, it’s not just that he was the greatest player in the Negro Leagues,’’ Sean Gibson, Gibson’s great grandson, told Nightengale, “but one of the greatest of all time. These aren’t just Negro League stats. They’re major-league baseball stats.
“This means so much for not only the Josh Gibson family, but representing the 2,300 men in the Negro Leagues who didn’t get the opportunity to play [in the Major Leagues].’’
Bonds isn’t the only Giants legend to be impacted by the incoming flood of statistics. Willie Mays will receive a boost from his 1948 Negro Leagues season with the Birmingham Black Barons, and now has 3,293 career hits — up from 3,283. Mays could see even more hits added to his total once his Negro Leagues statistics from 1949 and 1950 are verified.
“We are proud that the official historical record now includes the players of the Negro Leagues,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement (h/t Yahoo Sports). “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.”
It’s certainly good news that all of baseball’s rich history officially will be included when fans talk about the greatest athletes to ever play the game. And Bonds certainly remains in that category, despite his shift in the all-time rankings.
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