Paced by Josh Gibson who banged out two home runs to drive across four tallies, the Washington Homestead Grays, Friday night, knocked the Baltimore Elite Giants out of the Negro National League lead, by taking a 7 to 3 victory under the arc lights at Bugle Field.
Rain halted Sunday’s scheduled twin bill, but Friday’s triumph was sufficient to install the Grays in the leading sport for the first time since 28 June, when the Eagles took three out of four games from the champions.
Roy Welmaker, southpaw star, hurled the Grays’ win, scattering nine hits over the nine-inning route, four of them coming in the final frame and only single safeties being allowed in other sessions. Jonas Gaines, the left-handed ace of the Elites and usually a jinx to the Grays, was more effective, granting eight blows and fanning eleven batters, but a wobbly start in the opening frame proved his undoing.
In the initial inning, the Grays pushed across four runs, the winning margin, on four hits, including a 379 foot homer by Josh Gibson over the left centerfield wall, singles by Lick Carlisle and Sammy Bankhead and Ray Brown a double.
For the next four frames, Gaines held the Grays scoreless, during the job in brilliant style by striking out Howard Easterling and Welmaker with the bases loaded in the second and third, respectively.
The Grays, however, nicked the 21-year –old Southern University flipper for two more markers in the sixth when Felton Snow’s low throw gave Easterling a base, Gibson singled and Jud Wilson whacked out a baleful triple to score the former two. Gibson second home run, a 341 foot wallop over the leftfield wall, produced the seventh tally in the eighth inning.
Big Josh enjoyed a perfect night at the bat, with three hits in three official times at the plate. On two other occasions he came to bat, but was intentionally passed each time.
Welmaker’s only walk, a pass to Gaines in the sixth, paved the way for the Elites’ first marker. Jim Kimbro forced Gaines and Tom Butts in turn forced Kimbro, but Wild Bill Wright pounded out a terrific double to center sending Butts racing across the plate. Wright’s clout was a booming blast and may easily have been an inside-the-park homer had it not bounced off the light pole in centerfield, making it easy for Jerry Benjamin to retrieve.
Bill Hoskins, George Scales, Bob Clark and Butts contributed singles in the second, fourth, seventh and eighth, but for naught as all failed to get past second base.
Scales poled a home run to begin the ninth, followed by singles by Snow and Clark, then Hoskins flied out and Bill Byrd fanned for two outs. Jesse Brown, in the role of pinch hitter for Gaines, whacked a safety over second, scoring Snow, but Kimbro skied to Bankhead to nip the rally in the bud.
Raymond C Brown was elected into the Hall of Fame by the Negro League Committee in 2006. He died 8 February 1965 in Dayton, Ohio.
Notes, Ray Brown and Roy Welmaker of the Grays contend that Lenny Pearson is a tougher man to handle at the plate than Monty Irwin. Double Duty Radcliffe, pitcher-catcher of the Birmingham Black Barons rates among the game’s most outstanding receivers.
Leonard “Lennie” Pearson never made it to the majors, he played in the minors from 1950 to 1953, batting .284. Pearson’s Negro League career stretched from 1927 to 1949, primarily with Newark. Records indicate he batted .288. Baseball Reference does not link the two parts of Mr. Pearson’s career, treating them as being separate people. Pearson died in East Orange, New Jersey in 1980.
Roy “Snookie” Welmaker played primarily for the Grays in a Negro League career that went from 1932 to 1945. He continued in the minors until 1953. He died in Decatur, Georgia in 1998.
Double Duty was 103 when he passed away. He was one of several Negro League stars to attend the gathering that was part of the 1969 Senators reunion in 1998 in Chantilly, Virginia.
Afro-American
