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East–West All-Star Game

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The 1936 Negro League East–West All-Star Game at Comiskey Park

The East–West All-Star Game was an annual all-star game for Negro league baseball players. The game was the brainchild of Gus Greenlee, owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords. In 1933 he decided to emulate the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, using Negro league players.[1] Newspaper balloting was set up to allow the fans to choose the starting lineups for that first game, a tradition that continued through the series' end in 1962. Unlike the MLB All-Star game which is played near the middle of the season, the Negro All-Star game was held toward the end of the season.

Because league structures were shaky during the Great Depression and also because certain teams (notably the Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays) sometimes played entirely independent of the leagues, votes were not counted by league, but by geographical location. Hence, the games were known as the East–West All-Star Games. Votes were tallied by two of the major African-American weekly newspapers of the day, the Chicago Defender and the Pittsburgh Courier.

The Games

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All games were held at Comiskey Park in Chicago unless otherwise noted.

1933–1939

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September 10, 1933
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 7 11 3
West 0 0 1 3 0 3 3 1 x 11 15 3
WP: Bill Foster (Chicago American Giants)   LP: Sam Streeter (Pittsburgh Crawfords)
Home runs:
East: None
West: Mule Suttles (Chicago American Giants)
Attendance: 19,568
  • Batteries:
  • Notes:
    • Bill Foster pitched a complete game for the West and Mule Suttles hit the first home run in East-West history.
    • The West squad used only its nine starters for the entire game.
    • The starting lineups reflected an imbalance in voting, as seven West starters came from the American Giants while five East starters were from either the Crawfords or Grays.
    • East first baseman Oscar Charleston (Pittsburgh Crawfords) received the most votes, with 43,793.
August 26, 1934
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 1
West 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
WP: Satchel Paige (Pittsburgh Crawfords)   LP: Bill Foster (Chicago American Giants)
Home runs:
East: None
West: None
Attendance: 30,000 (est.)
  • Batteries:
  • Notes:
    • Three East pitchers combined on a 7-hit shutout.
    • Cool Papa Bell scored the only run in the eighth.
    • West pitcher Bill Foster received the most votes, 48,957.
August 11, 1935
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
East 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 8 11 5
West 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 4 3 11 11 5
WP: Willie Cornelius (Chicago American Giants)   LP: Martín Dihigo (New York Cubans)
Home runs:
East: Slim Jones (Philadelphia Stars)
West: Mule Suttles (Chicago American Giants)
Attendance: 25,000 (est.)
August 23, 1936
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 2 0 0 1 3 0 2 2 0 10 13 5
West 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 8 2
WP: Leroy Matlock (Pittsburgh Crawfords)   LP: Willie Cornelius (Chicago American Giants)
Home runs:
East: None
West: None
Attendance: 26,400
  • Batteries:
    • East: Leroy Matlock (Pittsburgh Crawfords) (W), Bill Byrd (Washington Elite Giants), Satchel Paige (Pittsburgh Crawfords) and Biz Mackey (Washington Elite Giants), Josh Gibson (Pittsburgh Crawfords)
    • West: Willie Cornelius (Chicago American Giants) (L), Floyd Kranson (Kansas City Monarchs), Andy Cooper (Kansas City Monarchs), Ted Trent (Chicago American Giants) and Harry Else (Kansas City Monarchs), Subby Byas (Chicago American Giants)
  • Notes:
    • East pitcher Satchel Paige received the most votes, with 18,275
    • Alex Radcliffe and Cool Papa Bell each collected three hits.
August 8, 1937
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 3 0 7 11 1
West 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 5 4
WP: Barney Morris (Pittsburgh Crawfords)   LP: Hilton Smith (Kansas City Monarchs)
Home runs:
East: Buck Leonard (Homestead Grays)
West: Ted Strong (Indianapolis Athletics)
Attendance: 25,000 (est.)
  • The Western teams played a second All-Star game amongst themselves in Memphis on August 29, and split into North-South alignment. The northern teams won 10–7, with Bill Foster of Chicago getting the win and Ted Strong on Indianapolis homering (while hitting for the cycle).
August 21, 1938
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 11 0
West 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 x 5 9 1
WP: Hilton Smith (Kansas City Monarchs)   LP: Edsall Walker (Homestead Grays)
Home runs:
East: None
West: Neal Robinson (Memphis Red Sox)
Attendance: 30,000 (est.)

1940–1949

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August 18, 1940
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 2 0 0 1 1 4 0 3 0 11 12 0
West 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6
WP: Henry McHenry (Philadelphia Stars)   LP: Gene Bremer (Memphis Red Sox)
Attendance: 25,000 (est.)
July 27, 1941
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 2 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 8 11 4
West 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 8 5
WP: Dave Barnhill (New York Cubans)   LP: Ted Radcliffe (Memphis Red Sox)
Home runs:
East: Buck Leonard (Washington Homestead Grays)
West: None
Attendance: 50,246
August 1, 1943
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 0
West 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 x 2 6 0
WP: Satchel Paige (Memphis Red Sox)   LP: Dave Barnhill (New York Cubans)
Home runs:
East: Buck Leonard (Washington Homestead Grays)
West: None
Attendance: 51,723
August 13, 1944
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 4 11 2
West 1 0 1 0 5 0 0 0 x 7 12 0
WP: Gentry Jessup (Chicago American Giants)   LP: Carranza Howard (New York Cubans)
Home runs:
East: None
West: Ted Radcliffe (Birmingham Black Barons)
Attendance: 46,247
  • Ted Radcliffe and his brother Alec contributed a home run and triple, respectively, and won $700 bonuses each, which they gave to their mother.
  • The game was nearly cancelled due to a player strike, as the owners upped the players' individual share from $60 to $150 before the game could go on.
July 29, 1945
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 6 10 1
West 0 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 12 1
WP: Verdell Mathis (Memphis Red Sox)   LP: Tom Glover (Baltimore Elite Giants)
Home runs:
East: None
West: None
Attendance: 33,088
  • The Western teams played another All-Star game amongst themselves in September, and split into North-South alignment of Chicago and Cleveland versus Birmingham and Memphis. The northern teams won 8–2.
August 14, 1949
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 11 1
West 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3
WP: Bob Griffith   LP: Gene Richardson
Attendance: 31,097
Notes: Attendance was the worst in nine years and a drop of 10,000 from the 1948 game

1950–1959

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August 20, 1950
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 7 1
West 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 x 5 11 5
WP: Connie Johnson   LP: Raul Galata   Sv: Bill Powell
Home runs:
East: Junior Gilliam
West: None
Attendance: 24,614
August 12, 1951
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 10 3
West 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 6 0
WP: Kelly Searcy   LP: Vilbert Clarke   Sv: Wilmer Harris
Attendance: 21,312
August 17, 1952
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 7 4
West 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 x 7 9 1
WP: Dick Phillips   LP: "Groundhog" Thompson   Sv: Bill "Fireball" Beverly
Attendance: 18,279
August 16, 1953
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 4
West 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 x 5 6 1
WP: Sam (Buddy) Woods   LP: Willie Gaines   Sv: John "Stony" Jackson
Attendance: 10,000 (est.)
August 22, 1954
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 8 3
West 0 0 3 0 2 1 2 0 x 8 9 1
WP: Henry Mason (Kansas City Monarchs)   LP: Andy Carpenter (Detroit Stars)   Sv: Charlie Davis (Memphis Red Sox)
Home runs:
East: Wesley Dennis (Birmingham Black Barons)
West: Fran Herrera (Kansas City Monarchs)
Attendance: 10,000 (est.)
  • Batteries:
  • Notes:
    • There were only six teams in the NAL this year. The West squad was made up of players from the Kansas City Monarchs, Memphis Red Sox, and Louisville Clippers, while the East team consisted of the Indianapolis Clowns, Birmingham Black Barons, and Detroit Stars. The NAL was obviously struggling both at the gate and in its talent level, but the East-West Game was still a showcase of its young prospects for big league scouts.
    • Buck O'Neil managed the West team, while Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston managed the East. Charleston, who played in the first East-West Game in 1933, would die two months later.
July 31, 1955
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
West 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 x 2 2 1
WP: Isaiah Harris (Memphis Red Sox)   LP: Jo Misky Carpedge (Birmingham Black Barons)   Sv: Enrique Moroto (Kansas City Monarchs)
Attendance: 11,257
  • Batteries:
  • Notes
    • Satchel Paige, described in nearly every news story as "ageless", returned to the NAL after his final stint with the St. Louis Browns and before signing with Bill Veeck's Miami team in the International League as the starting pitcher for the West. He pitched three hitless innings, allowing only one batter to reach on an error.
    • There were only four teams in the NAL this year. The West was made up of players from the Kansas City Monarchs and the Memphis Red Sox, while the East team was composed of players from the Birmingham Black Barons and the Detroit Stars.
    • Managers for the two squads were Buck O'Neil of the Monarchs (in his final season in the NAL) and Ed Steele of the Stars.
August 12, 1956
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 3 0 3 0 0 1 1 2 1 11 13 2
West 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 5 9 2
WP: Willie Harris (Detroit Stars)   LP: Arzell "Ace" Robinson (Memphis Red Sox)
Attendance: 8,000 (est.)
July 28, 1957
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 5 7 3
West 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 3 x 8 11 2
WP: Gene Williams   LP: Elliott
August 31, 1958 at Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 6 6 2
West 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 5 5 3
WP: Willie Harris   LP: TBD
August 10, 1959 (11 innings)
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
East 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 7 8 1
West 0 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 8 10 2
WP: Pete Mumford   LP: James Gilmore
Home runs:
East: None
West: Willie Smith, Ernest Harris
Attendance: 9,000

1960–1962

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August 21, 1960
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 5 5 5
West 0 2 1 1 4 0 0 0 x 8 8 3
WP: Galvin Grant   LP: Herbert Paymon   Sv: Willie Gilmore
Home runs:
East: None
West: Art Hamilton
Attendance: 5,000 (est.)
August 20, 1961 at Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
West 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 7 6 2
East 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 4
WP: Satchel Paige   LP: Pete Gilliam
August 27, 1962 at Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
East 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 8 5
West 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 X 5 8 2
WP: Sherman Cottingham   LP: Robert Hollaway   Sv: Pointer
Home runs:
East: None
West: Willie Hardwick
  • Notes:
    • During the fifth inning, recent Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who played for the Monarchs and in the East-West game in 1945, was honored and given a key to the city and numerous other awards in the fifth inning. Satchel Paige and a number of other former Monarch players were also introduced.
    • This was the last East-West game. The NAL disbanded at the close of the season

Most selections

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Three players were named to the East–West All-Star Game at least ten times: Alex Radcliffe (13, although he played 12), Buck Leonard (13, although he also played 12), and Josh Gibson (12, with 11 played).[3] Other players that were named to multiple games were Leon Day (9), Neil Robinson (9), Quincy Trouppe (8), "Wild" Bill Wright (8), and Bill Byrd (8).[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Negroes Meet in All-Star Game September 10," Chicago Tribune, August 15, 1933, p. 18.
  2. ^ "Local Sports Events Scheduled This Week". The New York Times. August 27, 1939. p. 2, § 5.
  3. ^ "East Meets West in Negro All-Star Game – Society for American Baseball Research".
  4. ^ "Most Seasons on All-Star Roster".

Further reading

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  • Holway, John. Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues (Hastings House, 2001)
  • Lester, Larry. Black Baseball's National Showcase: The East-West All-Star Game, 1933–1953 (University of Nebraska Press, 2001)
  • Peterson, Robert W. Only The Ball Was White, (New York: Prentice-Hall Englewood-Cliffs, 1970)
  • New York Times New York, NY: Aug 13, 1951. p. 22; Aug 18, 1952. p. 21; Aug 17, 1953. p. 20; Sep 1, 1958. p. 16; Aug 11, 1959. p. 31; Aug 21, 1961. p. 27
  • Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago, IL: Jul 3, 1955. p. A2; Aug 1, 1955. p. C4; Jul 29, 1957. p. C4; Aug 10, 1959. p. C5; Aug 22, 1960. p. C2
  • Daily Defender, Chicago, IL: Jul 25, 1957. p. 24; Aug 22, 1960, p. 22; Aug 28, 1962. p. 22
  • Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO: Aug 27, 1962. p. 27
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