Josh Gibson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson in 1931
Catcher
Born: (1911-12-21)December 21, 1911 Buena Vista, Georgia
Died: January 20, 1947(1947-01-20) (aged 35) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
July 31, 1930, for the Homestead Grays
Last appearance
1946
Career statistics
Batting average	.359
Slugging percentage	.648
Home runs	238
Teams
Homestead Grays (1930–1931) Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932–1936) Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo (1937) Homestead Grays (1937–1939) Azules de Veracruz (1940–1941) Homestead Grays (1942–1946)
Career highlights and awards
12× All-Star (1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1939-Comiskey, 1939-Yankee, 1942-Comiskey, 1942-Griffith, 1943, 1944, 1946-Griffith, 1946-Comiskey) 2× Negro World Series champion (1943, 1944) Washington Nationals Ring of Honor
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1972
Election Method	Negro Leagues Committee

Joshua "Josh" Gibson (born December 21, 1911 – died January 20, 1947) was an amazing American baseball catcher. He played mostly in the Negro leagues. Many baseball experts think Josh was one of the best power hitters and catchers ever.

In 1972, he joined the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was only the second player from the Negro Leagues to get this honor.

Gibson played for the Homestead Grays from 1930 to 1931. He then played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1932 to 1936. He returned to the Grays from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1942 to 1946. He also played baseball in other countries. In 1937, he played in the Dominican League. From 1940 to 1941, he played in the Mexican League.

People often called Josh Gibson the "black Babe Ruth". Some fans who saw both play even called Ruth "the white Josh Gibson". Gibson never played in the major leagues. This was because of an unwritten rule called the "gentleman's agreement". This rule stopped non-white players from joining the major leagues.

At his best, Gibson was 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) tall. He weighed 210 pounds (95 kg). In 2020, Major League Baseball officially recognized Negro League records. This meant Josh Gibson now holds the major league record for the highest batting average in a single season: .441!

Early Life and Baseball Start

A water tower in Buena Vista, Georgia, proudly proclaims the town to be the "Home of Josh Gibson".

Josh Gibson was born in Buena Vista, Georgia. His parents were Mark and Nancy Gibson. He had a younger brother, Jerry, who also played in the Negro Leagues. In 1923, Josh moved to Pittsburgh. His father found work at a steel company there.

Josh went to school in Pittsburgh. He planned to become an electrician. At age 16, he started playing baseball for a team sponsored by a department store. He played third base for them. Soon after, the Pittsburgh Crawfords recruited him. In 1928, the Crawfords were a semi-professional team. They later became a top professional Negro League team.

In 1928, Josh met Helen Mason. They got married in 1929. Josh kept working at the department store when he wasn't playing baseball. He decided to focus on his baseball career. In 1930, when Josh was 18, the owner of the Homestead Grays recruited him. The Grays were the best Negro League team in Pittsburgh. Josh played his first game with them on July 31, 1930.

Sadly, on August 11, 1930, Josh's wife, Helen, passed away. She was pregnant with twins and went into labor too early. Their twin son, Josh Gibson, Jr., and daughter, Helen, survived. Helen's parents raised the children.

Josh Gibson's Baseball Career

The Negro Leagues often played fewer official league games. Teams made extra money by playing exhibition games against other teams. This means that Josh Gibson's total home runs include games against many different kinds of teams. For example, in 1934, he hit 69 home runs in all games. But in official league games that year, he hit 11 home runs in 52 games.

Gibson (standing, center) with the 1932 Crawfords team.

In 1933, Josh hit an amazing .467 batting average. He also hit 55 home runs in 137 games against all types of teams. His lifetime batting average is thought to be higher than .350. Some say it was as high as .384, which would be the best in Negro League history.

His Hall of Fame plaque says he hit "almost 800 home runs". This includes all games, even exhibition matches. The Hall of Fame's official data lists his lifetime batting average as .359. It is believed he won nine home run titles and four batting championships. He achieved this while playing for the Crawfords and the Grays.

There are many stories about Gibson's powerful hits. One story says he hit a home run at Yankee Stadium that landed almost 580 feet (177 meters) from home plate. Another story says he hit a ball completely out of Yankee Stadium in 1934. The owner of the Washington Senators once said Gibson hit more home runs into his stadium's distant left field than the entire American League.

Gibson's plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Baseball Statistics and Records

It's hard to know the exact statistics for Negro League players. The leagues didn't always keep full records of games. Researchers have worked hard to find old newspaper box scores. This helps them estimate the true numbers.

Based on this research, Josh Gibson hit between 150 and 200 home runs in official Negro League games. While this is less than the "almost 800" often mentioned, it's still very impressive. The Negro League season was much shorter than Major League seasons. It usually had fewer than 60 games per year. The higher home run totals include all the "unofficial" games he played.

One famous tall tale about Gibson shows how legendary he was. In a game in Pittsburgh, Gibson hit a ball so high it disappeared into the sky. The next day, the same teams were playing in Washington. A ball suddenly fell from the sky, and an outfielder caught it. The umpire yelled to Gibson, "You're out! In Pittsburgh, yesterday!"

Later Life and Legacy

In 1943, Josh Gibson became very sick. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He chose not to have surgery. He lived for four more years with bad headaches. He passed away on January 20, 1947, at age 35, from a stroke. He was buried in Pittsburgh. For many years, his grave didn't have a marker. A small plaque was placed there in 1975.

Negro league baseball exhibit featuring Gibson's portrait at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Just a few months after Gibson's death, Jackie Robinson became the first black player in modern Major League Baseball. Many black players at the time felt that Josh Gibson was the best player. They believed he should have been the one to break the color barrier.

In 1972, Gibson and Buck Leonard were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. They were the second and third players from the Negro Leagues to receive this honor.

The U.S. Postal Service even made a special postage stamp featuring Josh Gibson. In 2000, The Sporting News ranked him 18th on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. This was the highest rank for any player who spent most of their career in the Negro Leagues.

At PNC Park in Pittsburgh, there used to be statues honoring Negro League players, including Gibson. These statues are now displayed at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. A statue of Gibson was also put up at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Josh Gibson Field in Pittsburgh is named after him. His son, Josh Gibson, Jr., also played baseball for the Homestead Grays. He helped create the Josh Gibson Foundation, which keeps his father's memory alive.

Films About Josh Gibson

• In the 1996 film Soul of the Game, Josh Gibson was played by Mykelti Williamson.
• The character Leon Carter in the 1976 film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings was based on Gibson.
• The character Josh Exley in The X-Files episode "The Unnatural" (1999) was also based on him.

Interesting Facts

• Gibson played baseball in the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Mexico. His lifetime batting average ranged from .354 to .384.
• In the 1941–1942 season, playing for the Santurce Crabbers in Puerto Rico, Gibson won the batting title with an amazing .480 average. This is still a record for that league.
• Barry Bonds, a famous Major League slugger, mentioned "Josh Gibson's 800 home runs" when he hit his 756th MLB home run.
• Buck O'Neil, another Negro League legend, said that only three players he ever saw hit the ball with a sound like "dynamite": Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson, and Bo Jackson.

Career Statistics

Negro Leagues

Official statistics for the Negro Leagues were put together by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. These numbers come from thousands of old game records.

Mexican League

Cuban (Winter) League

Images for kids

• 

  1943 Homestead Grays team photo.

See also

In Spanish: Josh Gibson para niños