People, Locations, Episodes

Josh Gibson, Baseball Player born

Josh Gibson

On this date in 1911, Josh Gibson was born. He was a Black professional baseball player who was one of the leading hitters in the Negro Leagues and is the all-time leader in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS and holds the all-time single-season Major League Baseball record in each category.

Joshua Gibson was born in Buena Vista, Georgia, and moved with his family to Pittsburgh, PA, as a child. He began playing semiprofessional baseball in 1927.  In 1930, he attended a game between the Homestead Grays and the Kansas City Monarchs when the Grays' catcher was injured. The Grays called Gibson out of the stands to catch, and he was on the team. The following year, he hit 75 home runs, establishing himself as a leading power hitter. In 1932, Gibson joined the Pittsburgh Crawfords and returned to the Grays.

In 1941, Gibson played for Vera Cruz of the Mexican League.  In 1942, he was diagnosed as having a brain tumor. Gibson refused to have surgery and continued to play ball. Although his skills did decline, he managed to win the Negro National League batting title in 1945 and 1946.   He died before the 1947 season began. The records indicate that during his career, Gibson hit more than 800 home runs and had a batting average well over .300, making him one of the outstanding hitters in baseball history.

Josh Gibson died on January 20, 1947, in Pittsburgh. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

On May 29, 2024, Major League Baseball’s embrace of the Negro Leagues was recognized in the record book, resulting in new-look leaderboards fronted in several prominent places by Gibson and an overdue appreciation of many other Black stars.

To become a Professional Athlete.