Walter Ball (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Walter Ball |
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Walter Ball, 1909
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| Spitball Pitcher | |||
| Born: September 12, 1878 Detroit, Michigan |
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| Died: December 16, 1946 (aged 68) Chicago, Illinois |
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George Walter Ball (born September 13, 1877 – died December 15, 1946) was an American baseball pitcher. He played in the Negro leagues, a group of baseball leagues for African Americans. Walter was born in Detroit, Michigan.
He started playing baseball in 1893. For ten years, he was often the only Black player on white teams in Minnesota and North Dakota. After 1903, he joined major teams, mostly in the Chicago area. People sometimes called him "The Georgia Rabbit" and "Diamond."
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Walter Ball's Early Baseball Career
Walter Ball began his baseball journey in 1893. He played for the Young Cyclones team in St. Paul, Minnesota. He also played for the Osceola team for a short time.
Playing in North Dakota
In 1899, Walter moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota. He played there until the end of the 1900 season. In his first year, he won 25 out of 28 games. He helped his team win the state baseball championship for North Dakota.
In 1901, Ball played for the Lakota, North Dakota team. Later that season, he became the captain of the York, North Dakota baseball team.
Championships in Minnesota
In 1902, Walter played for the St. Cloud baseball team. He helped them win the championship of eastern Minnesota. After the season, he spent the winter in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Joining the Negro Leagues
In 1903, Frank Leland asked Walter Ball to play for his Chicago Union Giants. This was a big change for Ball. It was the first time he played for an all-Black baseball team. Before this, he had always been the only Black player on white teams.
After playing with the Chicago Union Giants in 1903, Ball joined the Cuban X-Giants for the 1904 season. He played alongside famous players like Mike Moore and Grant Johnson.
Returning to Chicago Teams
In 1905, Walter played for the Brooklyn Royal Giants for the first half of the season. He then returned to the Chicago Union Giants. It is said that he won 48 games in a row during this time.
In 1906, Ball went to New York to play for the Quaker Giants. However, that team stopped playing by July of that year. He came back to Chicago and finished the year with the Leland Giants.
In 1907, Walter Ball helped create and manage the St. Paul Gophers team. He even played on the team for part of the season. But he moved back to Chicago to finish the year with the Leland Giants.
In 1908, Ball went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to play for the Keystones. But Frank Leland helped him get out of his contract. Walter then returned to Chicago to finish the season.
Playing Winter Baseball in Cuba
Walter played winter baseball in Cuba from 1908 to 1909. He played for the Fe club of Havana. He won 12 out of 15 games. He stopped the Almendares team from winning the championship, which they had won for five years.
When the winter season ended in March 1909, he joined the Leland Giants. They had spring training in Memphis, Tennessee. They toured the South and did not lose any games during spring training.
Walter Ball started the 1909 season with the Leland Giants. He lost only one out of 25 league games that year.
Sportswriter and fellow player Jimmy Smith chose Walter Ball for his 1909 "All American Team." This team featured the best players of the year.
Walter Ball continued to pitch for the Chicago Giants even when he was in his 40s. He was still playing when the Negro National League was formed in 1920 and 1921.
Walter Ball's Legacy
Walter Ball passed away in Chicago. He is buried at the Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois.
Six years after he died, Walter Ball was recognized in a special way. He received votes in a 1952 poll by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper. This poll asked players to name the best players ever from the Negro leagues.
