Larry Doby
Larry Doby, born in Camden, South Carolina, on December 13, 1923, spent his first 15 years there before moving to New Jersey. On December 13, 2023, he was posthumously honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. Larry Doby Jr. received the medal on behalf of his father. https://beisbol101.com/larry-doby-honrado-con-la-medalla-del-congreso-de-los-estados-unidos/ Larry Doby Sr. passed away in Montclair, New Jersey, on June 18, 2003. This blog highlights Doby’s playing career from 1942-1959, with the Newark Eagles, San Juan Senators in Puerto Rico’s Winter League (PRWL), Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers. Doby played for Newark in the 1946 Negro League World Series versus the Kansas City Monarchs; for Cleveland in, the 1948 Fall Classic against Boston, and for Cleveland, in the 1954 World Series versus the New York Giants. He managed the Chicago White Sox in 1978 to a 37-50 mark and served honorably (World War II) in the U.S. Army, 1944-1945. He was 6-1, 180 pounds.
The 1946 Newark Eagles: Four Cooperstown Inductees and Three PRWL Hall of Famers
Four 1946 Newark Eagles—Skipper Biz Mackey, second baseman Larry Doby, shortstop Monte Irvin, and pitcher Leon Day—are enshrined in Cooperstown. Negro Leagues statistics reveal that 43-17-2 Newark had a .293/.363/.425 slash line, with a .788 OPS. They were 57-24-3 overall. First baseman Lennie Pearson (.321 BA, eight HR, 61 RBIs) starred for PRWL Caguas Criollos. Doby played second base for 1946-47 San Juan after the 1946 Negro League World Series. Shortstop Monte Irvin played superbly for San Juan, 1940-42, and 1945-47. San Juan won the 1945-46 PRWL crown with League MVP Irvin playing second base that 40-game season with a .368 BA, three homers, and 31 RBIs. Left-fielder Johnny “El Gaucho” Davis was 7-4, 2.43 ERA for 1945-46 San Juan before his .329/.404/.494 slash line, and .897 OPS for 1946 Newark. Davis and Irvin were inducted into the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC) Hall of Fame, in a Ponce, Puerto Rico Ceremony, Saturday, December 16, 2023! Historian Jorge Colón Delgado revived this Hall of Fame in 2022. Leon Day was enshrined in the then-PRWL Hall of Fame in 1993. Day, the ace of the 1946 Eagles, pitched for the PRWL 1939-1942 Aguadilla Sharks and 1949-1950 Santurce Crabbers.
Leon Day, in 1993, alerted the author that: “My three seasons with Aguadilla were the most enjoyable of my career. I loved the tasty barbecued goat, rice and beans, rice and chicken.” And the level of play in the PRWL impressed him. “You’re talking about [Satchel] Paige, [Billy] Byrd, [Roy] Partlow, [Pancho] Coímbre, [Perucho] Cepeda, [Joshua] Gibson…” Day lived an idyllic life in a house by the beach and was called “El Caballero del Box” (the Gentleman of the Box.)
Table I: Hitting Stats, 1946 Newark Eagles Regular Position Players and Leon Day (62 games)
| Player/POS | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Leon Ruffin-C | 45 | 136 | 23 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 23 | .279 | .329 | .331 | .660 |
| Lennie Pearson-1B | 60 | 234 | 53 | 75 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 61 | .321 | .374 | .500 | .874 |
| Larry Doby-2B | 59 | 234 | 59 | 85 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 52 | .363 | .436 | .590 | 1.025 |
| Pat Patterson-3B | 48 | 192 | 49 | 59 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 30 | .307 | .376 | .479 | .855 |
| Monte Irvin-SS | 57 | 217 | 52 | 80 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 54 | .369 | .443 | .548 | .991 |
| Johnny Davis-LF | 62 | 231 | 42 | 76 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 47 | .329 | .404 | .494 | .897 |
| Jimmy Wilkes-CF | 57 | 223 | 38 | 56 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 28 | .251 | .327 | .318 | .645 |
| Bob Harvey-RF | 51 | 167 | 26 | 44 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 21 | .263 | .349 | .335 | .685 |
| Leon Day-P | 24 | 58 | 15 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | .362 | .431 | .483 | .914 |
| Other Players | 448 | 53 | 94 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 43 | .210 | .270 | .295 | .565 | |
| Totals | 62 | 2140 | 410 | 628 | 94 | 34 | 40 | 369 | .293 | .363 | ,425 | .788 |
Source: https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1946&teamID=NE&LGOrd=1
Table II: Pitching Stats, 1946 Newark Eagles, Regular Season
| Pitcher | W-L | PCT | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
| Leon Day | 13-2 | .867 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 132 | 98 | 109 | 51 | 2.45 | 1.13 |
| Max Manning | 11-2 | .846 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 120.1 | 115 | 67 | 24 | 2.99 | 1.16 |
| Rufus Lewis | 8-2 | .800 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 91.1 | 76 | 60 | 22 | 1.97 | 1.07 |
| Leniel Hooker | 5-5 | .500 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 85.2 | 79 | 36 | 21 | 3.05 | 1.17 |
| Cecil Cole | 1-3 | .250 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.2 | 34 | 5 | 25 | 3.05 | 2.06 |
| Cotton Williams | 0-0 | .000 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 | 41 | 7 | 13 | 8.10 | 2.02 |
| Warren Peace | 2-1 | .667 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23.1 | 23 | 17 | 6 | 2.70 | 1.24 |
| Charles England | 0-2 | .000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 7 | 7.36 | 2.36 |
| Johnny Davis | 2-0 | 1.00 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 4.50 | 1.80 |
| Other^ | 1-0 | 1.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2.00 | 0.89 |
| Totals> | 43-17 | .717 | 62 | 62 | 40 | 6 | 6 | 538 | 501 | 313 | 179 | 3.31 | 1.26 |
^Jimmy Boyd and Biz Mackey. >Two games finished in ties.
Source: https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1946&teamID=NE&tab=pit
The 1946 Negro League World Series
On Tuesday, September 17, 1946, Kansas City won Game One, 2-1, at the Polo Grounds. Paid attendance was 19,423. Starting line-ups were:
Kansas City—Hank Thompson (2B), Herb Souell (3B), Ted Strong (RF), Willard Brown (CF), Buck O’Neil (1B), Johnie Scott (LF), Jim Hamilton (SS), Earl Taborn (C), Hilton Smith (P).
Newark—Jimmy Wilkes (CF), Clarence Isreal (3B), Larry Doby (2B), Monte Irvin (SS), Lennie Pearson (1B), Johnny Davis (LF), Bob Harvey (RF), Leon Ruffin (C), Leon Day (P).
Satchel Paige earned the win, with four innings of scoreless relief. He relieved Hilton Smith after a sixth-inning walk to Doby, who scored Newark’s only run. He stole second, followed by Johnny Davis’s run-scoring hit. Paige still holds the PRWL record for most wins (19) and strikeouts (208) in 1939-40. Kansas City’s Willard Brown hammered 27 homers in a 60-game (1947-48) PRWL season, to set the all-time single-season standard. Monarchs catcher Earl Taborn also played for the Santurce Crabbers and was called “Maricutana” for his effeminate demeanor. Rufus Lewis took the loss.
Newark rebounded with a 7-4 Game Two victory at Ruppert Stadium, Newark, two nights later. The two-hour and twenty-six-minute game was viewed by 9,787 fans. Willard Brown cracked a three-run homer in the visitors’ sixth off Max Manning. Doby’s two-run homer in the home seventh off John Ford Smith closed the gap to 4-3, Monarchs. Newark scored four more, three off Satchel Paige, who relieved Ford Smith after the latter walked Monte Irvin.
Game Three, on September 23, was a 15-5 Kansas City win. Their 21-hit attack included four apiece by Chico Renfroe, Herb Souell, and Hank Thompson. Buck O’Neil contributed three hits and Jim “Libertad” Lamarque went the route for Kansas City. He was recruited by Santurce owner Pedrín Zorrilla to pitch for Santurce. His PRWL nickname was in honor of Argentine singer Libertad Lamarque. Doby went 1-for-4 with a walk. Starter Leniel Hooker absorbed the loss. Blues Stadium, the next night, also hosted Game Four. Rufus Lewis knotted the Series with a four-hitter in his 8-1 win for Newark. Only 3,836 fans watched it. Doby’s 2-for-4 performance included two RBIs and a triple. Irvin went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. Buck O’Neil drove in Willard Brown with the Monarchs’ lone run.
Just 4,000 fans witnessed the Monarchs’ 5-1 win in Game Five, at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Hilton Smith scattered 10 hits; Doby went 0-for-3 with a walk. Ford Smith played right field, a testament to these talented and versatile players. Games Six-Seven were held in Newark, on September 27 and 29. The Eagles won both, 9-7, and 3-2. Irvin homered twice, and Pearson, once, in the former contest. Both drove in three. Willard Brown homered for Kansas City. Leon Day and Lamarque were relieved in the first without retiring any hitters. Then, in Game Seven, Gaucho Davis’s sixth-inning double drove in Doby and Irvin to break a 1-1 deadlock. Satchel Paige never showed up so Ford Smith pitched, allowing three hits and two earned runs. Buck O’Neil homered off winner Rufus Lewis.
PRWL Home Run Chase: 1946-47
Doby, Barney Brown, and Monte Irvin were mainstays with the 1946-47 San Juan Senators, third (35-25) in the PRWL. Four wins versus Santurce were confiscated due to questions about catcher Joe Montalvo, born in New York City, of Puerto Rican descent. Barney Brown (16-5, 1.24 ERA) led those categories. The home run chase came down to the wire—Aguadilla’s Luis “Canena” Márquez’s 14 edged Caguas’s Buster Clarkson (13), Doby (12), Ponce’s Fernando Díaz Pedroso (12), and Irvin (11). Aguadilla native Víctor Navarro took the author on a tour of Aguadilla’s Parque Colón, 46 years after Canena clinched the home run title with three in a three-game series against San Juan. This gave him 14, but he had to sweat out Doby’s five that weekend. “The [Aguadilla] crowd cheered Doby and Canena, but this was the first time a Puerto Rican won an undisputed PRWL home run title when the best Negro Leaguers were playing,” said Navarro. “Before Canena won it, [Ed] Stone, Joshua Gibson [twice], Campanella, and Buck Leonard were the home run kings.” (Roy Campanella and Sam Jethroe played for 1946-47 San Juan, but left early.)
Some Doby San Juan teammates weighed in. Shortstop Jaime Almendro: “I played for the 1946 Jersey City Giants, Triple-A, International League. Doby, my Senators double-play partner, was of big-league caliber as was Monte Irvin, our [1945-46] second baseman.” Left-fielder Félix “Fellé” Delgado noted: “Doby was focused in Puerto Rico and played better the latter part of the season.” Irvin, in his fourth season with San Juan, was instrumental in Doby reinforcing 1946-47 San Juan. “I encouraged Larry to play winter ball,” stated Irvin. “Puerto Rico was helpful to me and I was confident Larry could impress fans and scouts.” Nine-year-old Freddie Thon Jr., San Juan’s 1946-47 batboy, noted: “My dad [Freddie Thon Sr.] played right field. Doby played a game at third but was our regular second baseman.” Doby’s 12 homers in 152 at-bats were one homer every 12.67 at-bats. Irvin’s 11 homers in 142 at-bats equaled one homer every 12.91 at-bats. Table III compares Doby’s HR/AB ratio to Irvin, Canena, Clarkson, and Pedroso. Doby had the best ratio.
L to R: Larry Doby, Barney Brown, and Monte Irvin; 1946-47 San Juan Senators.
Photo credit: www.hakes.com.
Table III: PRWL 1946-47 At-Bats per Homers (five leaders)
| Player | Team | AB | HR | AB/HR |
| Canena Márquez | Aguadilla | 250 | 14 | 17.86 |
| Buster Clarkson | Caguas | 194 | 13 | 14.92 |
| Fernando Díaz Pedroso | Ponce | 256 | 12 | 21.33 |
| Larry Doby | San Juan | 152 | 12 | 12.67# |
| Monte Irvin | San Juan | 142 | 11 | 12.91 |
#League-best. Source: https://beisbol101.com/indice-de-jugadores/
Table IV compares Doby’s at-bats divided by homers to second basemen in selected Major League seasons. Rogers Hornsby, 1925 St. Louis Cardinals, came the closest to Doby’s 12.67 figure, with 12.92 at-bats per homer. Davey Johnson, 1973 Atlanta Braves, got the Bronze, with 13 at-bats for each home run.
Table IV: Homers per At-Bats for Selected Second Basemen
| Player | Team | Season | AB | HR | AB/HR |
| Larry Doby | San Juan | 1946-47 | 152 | 12 | 12.67 |
| Marcus Semien | TOR | 2021 | 652 | 45 | 14.49 |
| Davey Johnson | ATL | 1973 | 559 | 43 | 13.00 |
| Brian Dozier | MIN | 2016 | 615 | 42 | 14.64 |
| Rogers Hornsby | SLC | 1922 | 623 | 42 | 14.83 |
| Ryne Sandberg | CHC | 1990 | 615 | 40 | 15.38 |
| Brandon Lowe | TBR | 2021 | 535 | 39 | 13.72 |
| Robinson Canó | SEA | 2016 | 655 | 39 | 16.79 |
| Alfonso Soriano | NYY | 2002 | 696 | 39 | 17.85 |
| Rogers Hornsby | CHC | 1929 | 602 | 39 | 15.44 |
| Rogers Hornsby | SLC | 1925 | 504 | 39 | 12.92 |
Source: https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/most-homeruns-in-a-season-by-second-baseman
Doby made his AL debut for the Cleveland Indians, on July 5, 1947, as the first Black to play in the “Junior Circuit.” Willard Brown, on August 13, hit the first AL homer by a Black player, in Game Two of a St. Louis Browns home twin-bill versus Detroit but Doby slugged the first AL-NL World Series homer by a Black athlete. It came in the third inning, Game Four, October 9, 1948, versus Johnny Sain of the Boston Braves. Cleveland won that contest, 2-1, and that Classic, four games to two. Table V summarizes Doby’s hitting stats, including three World Series and six AL-NL All-Star Games. His East Team stats for the two 1946 East-West All-Star Games (Negro Leagues) are embedded with his 1946 Newark Eagles batting figures.
Table V: Larry Doby Major League and PRWL Hitting Stats
| Season | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 1942 | NE | 23 | 81 | 18 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | .309 | .364 | .432 | .796 |
| 1943 | NE | 28 | 103 | 18 | 31 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 22 | .301 | .419 | .553 | .973 |
| 1944 | NE | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .333 | .200 | .533 |
| 1946 | NE# | 59 | 234 | 59 | 85 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 52 | .363 | .436 | .590 | 1.025! |
| 1947 | NE | 30 | 114 | 25 | 40 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 41 | .351 | .435 | .737 | 1.172 |
| 1947 | CLE | 29 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .156 | .182 | .188 | .369 |
| 1948 | CLE | 121 | 439 | 83 | 132 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 66 | .301 | .384 | .490 | .873 |
| 1949 | CLE | 147 | 547 | 106 | 153 | 25 | 3 | 24 | 85 | .280 | .389 | .468 | .857 |
| 1950 | CLE | 142 | 503 | 110 | 164 | 25 | 5 | 25 | 102 | .326 | .442! | .545 | .986! |
| 1951 | CLE | 134 | 447 | 84 | 132 | 27 | 5 | 20 | 69 | .295 | .428 | .512 | .941 |
| 1952 | CLE | 140 | 519 | 104! | 143 | 26 | 8 | 32! | 104 | ,276 | .383 | .541! | .924 |
| 1953 | CLE | 149 | 513 | 92 | 135 | 18 | 5 | 29 | 102 | .263 | .385 | .487 | .873 |
| 1954 | CLE | 153 | 577 | 94 | 157 | 18 | 4 | 32! | 126! | .272 | .364 | .484 | .847 |
| 1955 | CLE | 131 | 491 | 91 | 143 | 17 | 5 | 26 | 75 | .291 | .369 | .505 | .874 |
| 1956 | CHW | 140 | 505 | 89 | 135 | 22 | 3 | 24 | 102 | .268 | .392 | .466 | .858 |
| 1957 | CHW | 119 | 416 | 57 | 120 | 27 | 2 | 14 | 79 | .288 | .373 | .464 | .837 |
| 1958 | CLE | 89 | 247 | 41 | 70 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 45 | .283 | .348 | .490 | .838 |
| 1959 | DET | 18 | 55 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .218 | .313 | .309 | .622 |
| 1959 | CHW | 21 | 58 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | .241 | .267 | .293 | .560 |
| Totals | 1674 | 5883 | 1080 | 1697 | 276 | 72 | 273 | 1099 | .288 | .399 | .489 | .888 | |
| 1949-1955< | AL | 6 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .300 | .300 | .700 | 1.000 |
| 1946> | NE | 7 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .227 | .452 | .455 | .907 |
| 1946-47 | SJ | 152 | 36 | 53 | 12 | 42 | .349 | ||||||
| 1948^ | CLE | 6 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .318 | .375 | .500 | .875 |
| 1954# | CLE | 4 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 | .222 | .125 | .347 |
NE: Newark Eagles; SJ: San Juan; CLE: Cleveland Indians; DET: Detroit Tigers; CHW: Chicago White Sox.
#Includes two All-Star Games: East Team. !Led League. <Six AL All-Star Games. >Newark vs. KC Monarchs.
^World Series vs. Boston Braves. #World Series vs. New York Giants.
Sources: https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=doby-01lar; Baseball Reference and
Larry Doby: Newark Eagles to San Juan Senators to Cooperstown and Beyond
Larry Doby, born in Camden, South Carolina, on December 13, 1923, spent his first 15 years there before moving to New Jersey. On December 13, 2023, he was posthumously honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. Larry Doby Jr. received the medal on behalf of his father. https://beisbol101.com/larry-doby-honrado-con-la-medalla-del-congreso-de-los-estados-unidos/ Larry Doby Sr. passed away in Montclair, New Jersey, on June 18, 2003. This blog highlights Doby’s playing career from 1942-1959, with the Newark Eagles, San Juan Senators in Puerto Rico’s Winter League (PRWL), Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers. Doby played for Newark in the 1946 Negro League World Series versus the Kansas City Monarchs; for Cleveland in, the 1948 Fall Classic against Boston, and for Cleveland, in the 1954 World Series versus the New York Giants. He managed the Chicago White Sox in 1978 to a 37-50 mark and served honorably (World War II) in the U.S. Army, 1944-1945. He was 6-1, 180 pounds.
The 1946 Newark Eagles: Four Cooperstown Inductees and Three PRWL Hall of Famers
Four 1946 Newark Eagles—Skipper Biz Mackey, second baseman Larry Doby, shortstop Monte Irvin, and pitcher Leon Day—are enshrined in Cooperstown. Negro Leagues statistics reveal that 43-17-2 Newark had a .293/.363/.425 slash line, with a .788 OPS. They were 57-24-3 overall. First baseman Lennie Pearson (.321 BA, eight HR, 61 RBIs) starred for PRWL Caguas Criollos. Doby played second base for 1946-47 San Juan after the 1946 Negro League World Series. Shortstop Monte Irvin played superbly for San Juan, 1940-42, and 1945-47. San Juan won the 1945-46 PRWL crown with League MVP Irvin playing second base that 40-game season with a .368 BA, three homers, and 31 RBIs. Left-fielder Johnny “El Gaucho” Davis was 7-4, 2.43 ERA for 1945-46 San Juan before his .329/.404/.494 slash line, and .897 OPS for 1946 Newark. Davis and Irvin were inducted into the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC) Hall of Fame, in a Ponce, Puerto Rico Ceremony, Saturday, December 16, 2023! Historian Jorge Colón Delgado revived this Hall of Fame in 2022. Leon Day was enshrined in the then-PRWL Hall of Fame in 1993. Day, the ace of the 1946 Eagles, pitched for the PRWL 1939-1942 Aguadilla Sharks and 1949-1950 Santurce Crabbers.
Leon Day, in 1993, alerted the author that: “My three seasons with Aguadilla were the most enjoyable of my career. I loved the tasty barbecued goat, rice and beans, rice and chicken.” And the level of play in the PRWL impressed him. “You’re talking about [Satchel] Paige, [Billy] Byrd, [Roy] Partlow, [Pancho] Coímbre, [Perucho] Cepeda, [Joshua] Gibson…” Day lived an idyllic life in a house by the beach and was called “El Caballero del Box” (the Gentleman of the Box.)
Table I: Hitting Stats, 1946 Newark Eagles Regular Position Players and Leon Day (62 games)
| Player/POS | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Leon Ruffin-C | 45 | 136 | 23 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 23 | .279 | .329 | .331 | .660 |
| Lennie Pearson-1B | 60 | 234 | 53 | 75 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 61 | .321 | .374 | .500 | .874 |
| Larry Doby-2B | 59 | 234 | 59 | 85 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 52 | .363 | .436 | .590 | 1.025 |
| Pat Patterson-3B | 48 | 192 | 49 | 59 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 30 | .307 | .376 | .479 | .855 |
| Monte Irvin-SS | 57 | 217 | 52 | 80 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 54 | .369 | .443 | .548 | .991 |
| Johnny Davis-LF | 62 | 231 | 42 | 76 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 47 | .329 | .404 | .494 | .897 |
| Jimmy Wilkes-CF | 57 | 223 | 38 | 56 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 28 | .251 | .327 | .318 | .645 |
| Bob Harvey-RF | 51 | 167 | 26 | 44 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 21 | .263 | .349 | .335 | .685 |
| Leon Day-P | 24 | 58 | 15 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | .362 | .431 | .483 | .914 |
| Other Players | 448 | 53 | 94 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 43 | .210 | .270 | .295 | .565 | |
| Totals | 62 | 2140 | 410 | 628 | 94 | 34 | 40 | 369 | .293 | .363 | ,425 | .788 |
Source: https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1946&teamID=NE&LGOrd=1
Table II: Pitching Stats, 1946 Newark Eagles, Regular Season
| Pitcher | W-L | PCT | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
| Leon Day | 13-2 | .867 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 132 | 98 | 109 | 51 | 2.45 | 1.13 |
| Max Manning | 11-2 | .846 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 120.1 | 115 | 67 | 24 | 2.99 | 1.16 |
| Rufus Lewis | 8-2 | .800 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 91.1 | 76 | 60 | 22 | 1.97 | 1.07 |
| Leniel Hooker | 5-5 | .500 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 85.2 | 79 | 36 | 21 | 3.05 | 1.17 |
| Cecil Cole | 1-3 | .250 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.2 | 34 | 5 | 25 | 3.05 | 2.06 |
| Cotton Williams | 0-0 | .000 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 | 41 | 7 | 13 | 8.10 | 2.02 |
| Warren Peace | 2-1 | .667 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23.1 | 23 | 17 | 6 | 2.70 | 1.24 |
| Charles England | 0-2 | .000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 7 | 7.36 | 2.36 |
| Johnny Davis | 2-0 | 1.00 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 4.50 | 1.80 |
| Other^ | 1-0 | 1.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2.00 | 0.89 |
| Totals> | 43-17 | .717 | 62 | 62 | 40 | 6 | 6 | 538 | 501 | 313 | 179 | 3.31 | 1.26 |
^Jimmy Boyd and Biz Mackey. >Two games finished in ties.
Source: https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1946&teamID=NE&tab=pit
The 1946 Negro League World Series
On Tuesday, September 17, 1946, Kansas City won Game One, 2-1, at the Polo Grounds. Paid attendance was 19,423. Starting line-ups were:
Kansas City—Hank Thompson (2B), Herb Souell (3B), Ted Strong (RF), Willard Brown (CF), Buck O’Neil (1B), Johnie Scott (LF), Jim Hamilton (SS), Earl Taborn (C), Hilton Smith (P).
Newark—Jimmy Wilkes (CF), Clarence Isreal (3B), Larry Doby (2B), Monte Irvin (SS), Lennie Pearson (1B), Johnny Davis (LF), Bob Harvey (RF), Leon Ruffin (C), Leon Day (P).
Satchel Paige earned the win, with four innings of scoreless relief. He relieved Hilton Smith after a sixth-inning walk to Doby, who scored Newark’s only run. He stole second, followed by Johnny Davis’s run-scoring hit. Paige still holds the PRWL record for most wins (19) and strikeouts (208) in 1939-40. Kansas City’s Willard Brown hammered 27 homers in a 60-game (1947-48) PRWL season, to set the all-time single-season standard. Monarchs catcher Earl Taborn also played for the Santurce Crabbers and was called “Maricutana” for his effeminate demeanor. Rufus Lewis took the loss.
Newark rebounded with a 7-4 Game Two victory at Ruppert Stadium, Newark, two nights later. The two-hour and twenty-six-minute game was viewed by 9,787 fans. Willard Brown cracked a three-run homer in the visitors’ sixth off Max Manning. Doby’s two-run homer in the home seventh off John Ford Smith closed the gap to 4-3, Monarchs. Newark scored four more, three off Satchel Paige, who relieved Ford Smith after the latter walked Monte Irvin.
Game Three, on September 23, was a 15-5 Kansas City win. Their 21-hit attack included four apiece by Chico Renfroe, Herb Souell, and Hank Thompson. Buck O’Neil contributed three hits and Jim “Libertad” Lamarque went the route for Kansas City. He was recruited by Santurce owner Pedrín Zorrilla to pitch for Santurce. His PRWL nickname was in honor of Argentine singer Libertad Lamarque. Doby went 1-for-4 with a walk. Starter Leniel Hooker absorbed the loss. Blues Stadium, the next night, also hosted Game Four. Rufus Lewis knotted the Series with a four-hitter in his 8-1 win for Newark. Only 3,836 fans watched it. Doby’s 2-for-4 performance included two RBIs and a triple. Irvin went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. Buck O’Neil drove in Willard Brown with the Monarchs’ lone run.
Just 4,000 fans witnessed the Monarchs’ 5-1 win in Game Five, at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Hilton Smith scattered 10 hits; Doby went 0-for-3 with a walk. Ford Smith played right field, a testament to these talented and versatile players. Games Six-Seven were held in Newark, on September 27 and 29. The Eagles won both, 9-7, and 3-2. Irvin homered twice, and Pearson, once, in the former contest. Both drove in three. Willard Brown homered for Kansas City. Leon Day and Lamarque were relieved in the first without retiring any hitters. Then, in Game Seven, Gaucho Davis’s sixth-inning double drove in Doby and Irvin to break a 1-1 deadlock. Satchel Paige never showed up so Ford Smith pitched, allowing three hits and two earned runs. Buck O’Neil homered off winner Rufus Lewis.
PRWL Home Run Chase: 1946-47
Larry Doby, Barney Brown and Monte Irvin
Doby, Barney Brown, and Monte Irvin were mainstays with the 1946-47 San Juan Senators, third (35-25) in the PRWL. Four wins versus Santurce were confiscated due to questions about catcher Joe Montalvo, born in New York City, of Puerto Rican descent. Barney Brown (16-5, 1.24 ERA) led those categories. The home run chase came down to the wire—Aguadilla’s Luis “Canena” Márquez’s 14 edged Caguas’s Buster Clarkson (13), Doby (12), Ponce’s Fernando Díaz Pedroso (12), and Irvin (11). Aguadilla native Víctor Navarro took the author on a tour of Aguadilla’s Parque Colón, 46 years after Canena clinched the home run title with three in a three-game series against San Juan. This gave him 14, but he had to sweat out Doby’s five that weekend. “The [Aguadilla] crowd cheered Doby and Canena, but this was the first time a Puerto Rican won an undisputed PRWL home run title when the best Negro Leaguers were playing,” said Navarro. “Before Canena won it, [Ed] Stone, Joshua Gibson [twice], Campanella, and Buck Leonard were the home run kings.” (Roy Campanella and Sam Jethroe played for 1946-47 San Juan, but left early.)
Some Doby San Juan teammates weighed in. Shortstop Jaime Almendro: “I played for the 1946 Jersey City Giants, Triple-A, International League. Doby, my Senators double-play partner, was of big-league caliber as was Monte Irvin, our [1945-46] second baseman.” Left-fielder Félix “Fellé” Delgado noted: “Doby was focused in Puerto Rico and played better the latter part of the season.” Irvin, in his fourth season with San Juan, was instrumental in Doby reinforcing 1946-47 San Juan. “I encouraged Larry to play winter ball,” stated Irvin. “Puerto Rico was helpful to me and I was confident Larry could impress fans and scouts.” Nine-year-old Freddie Thon Jr., San Juan’s 1946-47 batboy, noted: “My dad [Freddie Thon Sr.] played right field. Doby played a game at third but was our regular second baseman.” Doby’s 12 homers in 152 at-bats were one homer every 12.67 at-bats. Irvin’s 11 homers in 142 at-bats equaled one homer every 12.91 at-bats. Table III compares Doby’s HR/AB ratio to Irvin, Canena, Clarkson, and Pedroso. Doby had the best ratio.
L to R: Larry Doby, Barney Brown, and Monte Irvin; 1946-47 San Juan Senators.
Photo credit: www.hakes.com.
Table III: PRWL 1946-47 At-Bats per Homers (five leaders)
| Player | Team | AB | HR | AB/HR |
| Canena Márquez | Aguadilla | 250 | 14 | 17.86 |
| Buster Clarkson | Caguas | 194 | 13 | 14.92 |
| Fernando Díaz Pedroso | Ponce | 256 | 12 | 21.33 |
| Larry Doby | San Juan | 152 | 12 | 12.67# |
| Monte Irvin | San Juan | 142 | 11 | 12.91 |
#League-best. Source: https://beisbol101.com/indice-de-jugadores/
Table IV compares Doby’s at-bats divided by homers to second basemen in selected Major League seasons. Rogers Hornsby, 1925 St. Louis Cardinals, came the closest to Doby’s 12.67 figure, with 12.92 at-bats per homer. Davey Johnson, 1973 Atlanta Braves, got the Bronze, with 13 at-bats for each home run.
Table IV: Homers per At-Bats for Selected Second Basemen
| Player | Team | Season | AB | HR | AB/HR |
| Larry Doby | San Juan | 1946-47 | 152 | 12 | 12.67 |
| Marcus Semien | TOR | 2021 | 652 | 45 | 14.49 |
| Davey Johnson | ATL | 1973 | 559 | 43 | 13.00 |
| Brian Dozier | MIN | 2016 | 615 | 42 | 14.64 |
| Rogers Hornsby | SLC | 1922 | 623 | 42 | 14.83 |
| Ryne Sandberg | CHC | 1990 | 615 | 40 | 15.38 |
| Brandon Lowe | TBR | 2021 | 535 | 39 | 13.72 |
| Robinson Canó | SEA | 2016 | 655 | 39 | 16.79 |
| Alfonso Soriano | NYY | 2002 | 696 | 39 | 17.85 |
| Rogers Hornsby | CHC | 1929 | 602 | 39 | 15.44 |
| Rogers Hornsby | SLC | 1925 | 504 | 39 | 12.92 |
Source: https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/most-homeruns-in-a-season-by-second-baseman
Doby made his AL debut for the Cleveland Indians, on July 5, 1947, as the first Black to play in the “Junior Circuit.” Willard Brown, on August 13, hit the first AL homer by a Black player, in Game Two of a St. Louis Browns home twin-bill versus Detroit but Doby slugged the first AL-NL World Series homer by a Black athlete. It came in the third inning, Game Four, October 9, 1948, versus Johnny Sain of the Boston Braves. Cleveland won that contest, 2-1, and that Classic, four games to two. Table V summarizes Doby’s hitting stats, including three World Series and six AL-NL All-Star Games. His East Team stats for the two 1946 East-West All-Star Games (Negro Leagues) are embedded with his 1946 Newark Eagles batting figures.
Table V: Larry Doby Major League and PRWL Hitting Stats
| Season | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 1942 | NE | 23 | 81 | 18 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | .309 | .364 | .432 | .796 |
| 1943 | NE | 28 | 103 | 18 | 31 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 22 | .301 | .419 | .553 | .973 |
| 1944 | NE | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .333 | .200 | .533 |
| 1946 | NE# | 59 | 234 | 59 | 85 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 52 | .363 | .436 | .590 | 1.025! |
| 1947 | NE | 30 | 114 | 25 | 40 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 41 | .351 | .435 | .737 | 1.172 |
| 1947 | CLE | 29 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .156 | .182 | .188 | .369 |
| 1948 | CLE | 121 | 439 | 83 | 132 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 66 | .301 | .384 | .490 | .873 |
| 1949 | CLE | 147 | 547 | 106 | 153 | 25 | 3 | 24 | 85 | .280 | .389 | .468 | .857 |
| 1950 | CLE | 142 | 503 | 110 | 164 | 25 | 5 | 25 | 102 | .326 | .442! | .545 | .986! |
| 1951 | CLE | 134 | 447 | 84 | 132 | 27 | 5 | 20 | 69 | .295 | .428 | .512 | .941 |
| 1952 | CLE | 140 | 519 | 104! | 143 | 26 | 8 | 32! | 104 | ,276 | .383 | .541! | .924 |
| 1953 | CLE | 149 | 513 | 92 | 135 | 18 | 5 | 29 | 102 | .263 | .385 | .487 | .873 |
| 1954 | CLE | 153 | 577 | 94 | 157 | 18 | 4 | 32! | 126! | .272 | .364 | .484 | .847 |
| 1955 | CLE | 131 | 491 | 91 | 143 | 17 | 5 | 26 | 75 | .291 | .369 | .505 | .874 |
| 1956 | CHW | 140 | 505 | 89 | 135 | 22 | 3 | 24 | 102 | .268 | .392 | .466 | .858 |
| 1957 | CHW | 119 | 416 | 57 | 120 | 27 | 2 | 14 | 79 | .288 | .373 | .464 | .837 |
| 1958 | CLE | 89 | 247 | 41 | 70 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 45 | .283 | .348 | .490 | .838 |
| 1959 | DET | 18 | 55 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .218 | .313 | .309 | .622 |
| 1959 | CHW | 21 | 58 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | .241 | .267 | .293 | .560 |
| Totals | 1674 | 5883 | 1080 | 1697 | 276 | 72 | 273 | 1099 | .288 | .399 | .489 | .888 | |
| 1949-1955< | AL | 6 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .300 | .300 | .700 | 1.000 |
| 1946> | NE | 7 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .227 | .452 | .455 | .907 |
| 1946-47 | SJ | 152 | 36 | 53 | 12 | 42 | .349 | ||||||
| 1948^ | CLE | 6 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .318 | .375 | .500 | .875 |
| 1954# | CLE | 4 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 | .222 | .125 | .347 |
NE: Newark Eagles; SJ: San Juan; CLE: Cleveland Indians; DET: Detroit Tigers; CHW: Chicago White Sox.
#Includes two All-Star Games: East Team. !Led League. <Six AL All-Star Games. >Newark vs. KC Monarchs.
^World Series vs. Boston Braves. #World Series vs. New York Giants.
Sources: https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=doby-01lar; Baseball Reference; and beisbol101.com.
With thanks to Jaime Almendro, Gary Ashwill, Leon Day, Félix “Fellé” Delgado, Larry Lester, Monte Irvin, Víctor Navarro, and Freddie Thon Jr. Jorge Colón Delgado did the editing and photo placements.
With thanks to Jaime Almendro, Gary Ashwill, Leon Day, Félix “Fellé” Delgado, Larry Lester, Monte Irvin, Víctor Navarro, and Freddie Thon Jr. Jorge Colón Delgado did the editing and photo placements.
