1931 Detroit Stars season facts for kids

The 1931 Detroit Stars baseball team was a professional baseball team. They played in the Negro National League (NNL). This league was for African-American players. The Stars played during the 1931 baseball season.

The team won 25 games and lost 33 games. This put them in fourth place in the NNL. The Stars played their home games at Mack Park. This park was in Detroit, Michigan. John A. Roesink owned the team. Bingo DeMoss was their manager.

Meet the Batters

Turkey Stearnes: A Batting Star

The best batter for the Detroit Stars was Turkey Stearnes. He played as a center fielder. Stearnes was one of the top players in the Negro National League.

He hit eight home runs, which was the most in the league. His batting average was .376. This means he got a hit almost four out of every ten times he batted. He also had 33 RBIs (Runs Batted In). This means he helped 33 teammates score runs.

Turkey Stearnes passed away in 1979. He was later honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. This is a very special award for baseball's greatest players.

Other Key Batters

Wade Johnston was a left fielder for the team. He played in 45 games. His batting average was .302. He scored 37 runs, which was the most on the team. He also got 35 walks and stole seven bases.

Clarence Palm was the team's catcher. He played in 42 games. Palm had a batting average of .311. He also helped his team by getting 32 RBIs.

Pitching Power

Top Pitchers for the Stars

The Detroit Stars had several important pitchers. Nelson Dean pitched in 11 games. He won 7 games and lost 3. His ERA (earned run average) was 2.06. A low ERA means a pitcher gives up very few runs. He also struck out 36 batters.

Willie Powell was another key pitcher. He played in 16 games, starting 14 of them. He won 5 games and lost 9. Powell had 56 strikeouts.

Bill McCall pitched in nine games. He won 2 games and lost 6. He also struck out 23 batters.