PATERSON, New Jersey (PIX11) – Long-awaited justice is how some fans described the change in Major League Baseball statistics that occurred Wednesday. MLB incorporated Negro Leagues statistics into its official records and in the process transformed its leaderboards in virtually every category. The change was strongly felt at Paterson’s Hinchliffe Stadium, one of two Negro Leagues stadiums still in use.
Paterson teacher Lauren Chavis-Ferrer arrived at the stadium Wednesday wearing her Josh Gibson jersey. Gibson, who had played catcher for the Homestead Grays in the Negro Leagues, came in first in many categories after the new change in statistics.
“Finally, African Americans are getting their due and are being singled out for their statistics,” said Chavis-Ferrer, standing on the upper deck of the stadium, where her idol, Gibson, as well as other all-time great players of the Negro Leagues had made history.
“I absolutely feel the ghosts of all the previous players,” he said.
Paterson hopes to bring MLB game to Hinchliffe Stadium
Two other fans at the stadium, Kristin and Alex Paskiewicz, learned of the new statistics when PIX11 News briefed them on it for this story.
“That’s so cool!” Kristin Paszkiewicz exclaimed, “And here we are, where the magic happened!”
A clear example of the change is seen at the top of the list of MLB batting average leaders. The top three on the list, which dates back to the first professional match, from May 4, 1869 to May 28, 2024, were:
- Ty Cobb
- Rogers Hornsby
- Ed Delahanty
As of Wednesday, May 29, 2024, that list has been transformed to include Negro Leagues statistics. Snows:
- jose gibson
- Ty Cobb
- Oscar Charleston
Charleston and Gibson were legends of the Negro League. Adding them to the list of the best, according to their statistics, said Paterson Mayor André Sayegh, means: “They are helping us keep their legends alive.”
Sayegh is a proponent of the Charles Muth Museum at Hinchliffe Stadium, which is the most extensive repository of Negro Leagues items and exhibits outside of the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
Its director, Jessica Bush, noted that the newly added statistics, while impressive, still don’t tell the full story of what Negro Leagues players accomplished.
They were on “teams that played three, four, five games in a day,” Bush said. “When you look at the players who were sleeping on the sides of the roads, and not in hotels or houses, and see what they were capable of doing,” he continued, “it’s pretty incredible when you think about the backstory of what they did.” “These players lived and how they played compared to how other professional teams played.”
With the newly updated statistics, Gibson now leads all players in career hitting, single-season hitting, slugging and OPS, a combination of on-base and slugging percentages. It means that statistically he is the best player in the history of the game, officially.
Gibson played at Hinchliffe Stadium for the opposing team, the Pittsburgh Homestead Grays.
Other local highlights of the new decision include the fact that Jackie Robinson, who of course broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, will also have his two seasons in the Negro Leagues added to his overall status, boosting his already legendary record.
Additionally, Newark Eagles first baseman Mule Suttles is now among the top 10 players of all time in hitting in a single season.
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