Two big stories that happened (mostly) off the playing field in Major League Baseball this week prompt me to bring you readers this light, week-ending round-up about them. I hope you enjoy it (and if you do, there could be something similar about America’s Pastime going forward next week)!
Many baseball fans or even history buffs are likely familiar with the Negro Leagues, which were loose networks of baseball teams scattered across the U.S. during the Segregation era, on which Black players were allowed to play.
In 2000, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced the start of a project to track down incomplete records of statistics from those years, in the service of the end goal of integrating Negro Leagues’ numbers with those of the MLB. Now, Gibson’s statistics, along with those of more than 2,300 players from seven Leagues, will now be included as a part of the official record books.
Here’s more on the cool change, including how the great-grandson of Gibson (shown in the image above) feels about it:
As more than 2,300 Negro Leaguers’ numbers are added to the league’s official ledger, Gibson is MLB’s new career leader in batting average (.372), slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177), and holds the single-season record in batting average (.466) and slugging percentage (.974).
“When you hear Josh Gibson’s name now, it’s not just that he was the greatest player in the Negro Leagues,’’ Gibson’s great-grandson, Sean, told USA TODAY, “but one of the greatest of all-time. These aren’t just Negro League stats. They’re major-league baseball stats.’’
Some readers might enjoy the long read on this by columnist Steve Buckley at the New York Times ‘ sports publication, The Athletic.
There’s also this reference now, the MLB’s handy Q-and-A, titled “What to know about Negro Leagues stats entering MLB record.” Be warned, if you’re more of a casual fan: it gets pretty deep in the weeds.
There was also some retirement news this week, with a long-time umpire hanging up his mask: Angel Hernandez, the ump that so many of us grew up loving to hate, announced his retirement:
Hernandez, the lightning-rod umpire best known for controversial calls and heated ejections, announced Monday night he is walking away from the game at age 62. MLB approached Hernandez about the idea of retiring earlier in the season, a baseball source said, and he had not umpired a game since May 9 as the two sides worked out a financial agreement.
Hernandez was MLB’s most notorious umpire, and as frequent a topic in clubhouses and dugouts as he was in comments sections and in social media posts. His worst calls and fiery brand made him ripe for memes. Over the years, plenty of baseball personalities ranging from Sabathia to Ian Kinsler, from Bryce Harper to Ron Washington, have decried Hernandez and his calls.
Why do I say that he’s an umpire people love to hate? Take a look at these video clips user “YankeeWRLD” on X compiled in a thread of some of Hernandez’s most iconic moments and worst calls.
The news piece continued, with a low ranking backing up the complaints:
Hernandez was by no means one of MLB’s best umpires. Data from public umpire scorecards also indicated Hernandez’s reputation became outsized — he generally ranked in the 60s or 70s out of 85 to 90 umpires, according to Dylan Yep, the founder of Umpire Auditor.
What’s indisputable is the fact Hernandez became MLB’s most well-known umpire….
Even the Babylon Bee took a moment to throw a gentle jab Hernandez’s way:
I’ll close by bemoaning the dire straits my Arizona Diamondbacks (25-32) are in right now, a third of the way through the 2024 season. Where is the explosive, scrappy offense that nearly took away a World Series pennant from the talented Texas Rangers? More crucially, where is Corbin Carroll’s bat?! I think we’re getting to desperation time, but I hope the D-backs prove me wrong with some series wins soon. And really, you gotta beat the Mets (24-33), c’mon, guys!
Until next week…
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