Darius Bea facts for kids

Darius Francis Bea Jr. (born December 15, 1913, died June 26, 2001) was a talented American baseball player. People sometimes called him Bill Bea. He was a versatile player, meaning he could play different positions well. He was mainly a right fielder and also a pitcher. Darius Bea played in the Negro leagues, which were special baseball leagues for African American players. These leagues were important because, at that time, African American players were not allowed to play in the major leagues. He played for teams like the Baltimore Black Sox and the Philadelphia Stars in the 1930s and 1940s.

Playing Baseball: Darius Bea's Career

Darius Bea started his baseball journey playing for local teams when he was young.

Early Baseball Days

He began his playing career with the Whitestone Blacksox in 1929. This was a local team in his hometown area. In 1931, he joined the Tappanoch Red Sox, which was a semi-pro team. Semi-pro teams are a step up from amateur teams but not fully professional. After that, he played for the Hainesville Giants.

Joining the Negro Leagues

In 1934, Darius Bea joined the Baltimore Black Sox, a team in the Negro National League. This was a major league for African American players. In one game, he played as a relief pitcher. A relief pitcher comes into the game after the starting pitcher. He faced 10 batters and struck out two of them.

In 1936, between his times in the main Negro leagues, Bea played for the Congoleum Crescents. For this team, he both pitched and played in the outfield.

Time with the Philadelphia Stars

Darius Bea later joined the Philadelphia Stars in 1940. With the Stars, he mostly played as a right fielder. He was a great hitter, getting a batting average of .347. This means he got a hit almost 35% of the times he batted. He also hit three home runs in 38 games. He pitched in one game for the Stars as well.

Bea left the Philadelphia Stars in August 1940. This was because he had another job and could not commit all of his time to playing baseball. Many players in the Negro leagues had to work other jobs because baseball did not always pay enough to be their only source of income.

Later Baseball and Military Service

After his time in the Negro National League, Darius Bea continued to play baseball. He played for the Camden Collegians and also managed a team called the Washington-Philadelphia Pilots. He even played with the Eureka Red Sox in the Delco Baseball League until he was in his early 50s!

Besides playing baseball, Darius Bea also served his country. He was in the United States Navy during World War II.