Alex Radcliffe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alex Radcliffe |
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| Third Base | |||
| Born: July 26, 1905 Mobile, Alabama |
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| Died: July 18, 1983 (aged 77) Chicago, Illinois |
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| debut | |||
| 1928, for the Chicago Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| 1946, for the Memphis Red sox | |||
| Negro league statistics | |||
| Batting average | .291 | ||
| Hits | 456 | ||
| Home runs | 19 | ||
| Runs batted in | 221 | ||
| Stolen bases | 29 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Alex Radcliffe (born July 26, 1905 – died July 18, 1983) was a fantastic baseball player. He played in the Negro leagues, which were baseball leagues for African American players before major league baseball was integrated. Many people say he was the best third baseman ever in the Negro American League. Alex was also the brother of another famous player, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe. Sometimes, his name is spelled Alex Radcliff.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Baseball
Alex Radcliffe was born in Mobile, Alabama. When he was 12, in 1917, he moved to Chicago. He started his baseball journey as a batboy for a team there. Later, he showed off his skills from playing baseball in local parks. This led him to play for the Chicago Giants.
Alex Radcliffe's Amazing Baseball Career
Alex Radcliffe played baseball for 17 seasons, starting in 1926. He played for many different teams. These included the Chicago American Giants, New York Cubans, and Memphis Red Sox.
Early Years and First All-Star Games
Alex played a few games in 1926 and 1927. After a short break, he returned to the Negro leagues in 1932. This was his first full year playing. He hit for a .268 batting average in 40 games.
In 1932, his team, the Chicago American Giants, won the Negro Southern League pennant. This meant they were the champions of their league. Alex played in one game during the championship series and got two hits.
From 1933 to 1939, Alex was chosen for the East-West All-Star Game every year. This was a special game where the best players from the East and West teams in the Negro leagues played against each other.
All-Star Highlights
- In 1933, Alex hit for a great .338 average. He also got 50 hits in 37 games.
- He played in the very first East-West All-Star Game on September 10, 1933. This game was held at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. He got two hits and two RBIs in that game.
- In 1934, he kept playing well, hitting .304 with 49 hits.
- He led the league in "at-bats" in 1935, hitting .313 in 48 games.
- Even though he played only 19 games for the New York Cubans in 1936, he had an amazing .350 batting average.
- He returned to Chicago in 1937 and hit .303. He also got 50 hits that year.
- In the 1937 championship series, he hit .353. However, his team lost to the Kansas City Monarchs.
Later Career and Achievements
Alex continued to play well in the early 1940s. In 1943, he had his best hitting year. He led the league with a .369 batting average in 30 games. He also got 45 hits. This made him the Negro American League batting champion that year!
He continued to be selected for the All-Star Game in 1943, 1944, 1945, and twice in 1946. This shows how consistently good he was throughout his career.
Alex Radcliffe was known as one of the best third basemen. From 1932 to 1944, he was often ranked among the top five third basemen in many important stats. These included games played, putouts, assists, and double plays.
Later Life
After his baseball career, Alex Radcliffe worked as a bouncer. He worked at his brother's bar in Chicago, Illinois. He continued to live in Chicago until he passed away in 1983.
