As MLB factors in stats, ABC13 looks at Houston’s deep ties to Negro League baseball

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Negro League statistics are no longer a long-standing oversight in Major League Baseball.

After a three-year research project, MLB officially included the statistics of more than 2,300 Negro League players in its record book. In doing so, Josh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367. Gibson also became the career leader in slugging percentage, edging out Babe Ruth.

From the Houston Black Buffaloes to the Houston Eagles – whose jerseys have been worn many times by the Astros – our city has a rich tradition of Negro League baseball. Today, the communities that supported these incredible teams and athletes can feel a new sense of pride today – with the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues being considered equals.

Via Zoom, ABC13 visited Texas native Dr. Rob Fink. Not only is he a Negro Leagues researcher with a doctorate in history, but he is also the author of a book called “Playing in Shadows: Texas and the Negro Leagues.”

Through his extensive research on the subject, Fink learned that the major Negro Leagues would be holding spring training in our area. And if local players performed well in exhibition games, they would be signed by major Negro League teams. These are the same teams that have produced some of the best players in baseball history.

“The Houston Black Buffaloes, or any of those teams, had the idea that they were heroes for seeing and celebrating their successes,” Fink told ABC13. “The very nature of racism and segregation is to designate someone as other and make them less than. It’s a tangible way of showing that we are not less than. We are equal or better. It meant so much for this community.”

Fink says that while very few Negro League players are still alive today, the fact that their statistics are now officially incorporated into the major league record books is significant – and will be for generations to come.

“It’s good that the players are getting their dues,” Fink said of MLB incorporating Negro League statistics. “For future people to see this, fans who don’t know the stories of the Negro Leagues, they can go back and look them up and learn stories that have faded over the years. For these families, this will truly be a it’s a big deal – validation of what their ancestors went through.”

The newly compiled MLB records feature statistics from seven different Negro Leagues. Among these: the Negro American League. For two years, the Houston Eagles competed in this league.

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