Quote:
Originally Posted by robw1959
Josh Gibson is said to have hit over 800 career home runs. Don't they have the stats for that as well?
I have read multiple books about the Negro Leagues and their stars. but the fact is that the Negro Leagues are not and never have been Major League Baseball. I know they had a high caliber of play and players and teams which may have even been on par with the MLB players and teams of their day. However, I have never liked the idea of just grandfathering them and integrating their stats as though they were part of MLB history. Why not just keep them separate and have a separate Hall of Fame and everything else for them? Because of political correctness, that's why. The powers in MLB have simply decided that keeping the two leagues separate is somehow akin to modern-day segregation. Thus, the findings of that committee, is their method of issuing official reparations for the sin of having a color barrier in place for around 75 years.
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Gibson has 166 homers accounted for in Negro League games. The actual number is slightly higher because they are missing stats for some games. The "800" number you hear for him includes exhibition games in season, as well as homers hit on barnstorming tours. The problem with quoting that number seriously is that it is likely he was seeing 75 MPH fastballs down the middle.
When Babe Ruth played those same type of games, the opposing team knew what the fans wanted to see. Even the writers covering the game would talk about it. The players also knew that Ruth hitting homers makes them more money. If you could find all of Ruth's exhibition/barnstorming games and total them, he would probably have a 2.000 slugging percentage. You can safely assume, unless they were very poor businessmen, that Gibson was getting the same exact treatment. Paige was the big draw for pitchers, so he would pitch 2-3 innings each game instead of going nine innings every third game. Gibson was the big draw for hitters, so the fans wanted to see him hit dingers. He was getting the same pitches Ruth saw to help pad those numbers for the crowd enjoyment.
Gibson probably hit close to 800 homers give or take, but around 75% of them wouldn't be included in actual stats because they weren't league games.