Negro Leagues Recognized As Major

[trdcrdkid]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

According to the "official" stats Josh Gibson hit 113 HR. I wonder how many he really hit.

Actually, according to the numbers on Seamheads, which are the most complete available, Gibson hit 238 home runs in league games, i.e. games played against another team in the same league. But most Negro League teams only played around 50-70 league games in a season, the rest of their games being exhibition games on barnstorming tours and the like. A better basis for comparison is HR per 162 games. Gibson hit 42 HR per 162 (league) games in his Negro League career, higher than Hank Aaron's 37 and Barry Bonds's 41, but not as high as Babe Ruth's 46. That gives you an idea of the company he's in.