PATERSON, N.J. (PIX11) -- Long overdue justice is how some fans described the change in Major League Baseball statistics that happened on Wednesday. MLB incorporated Negro Leagues statistics into its official records, and in the process transformed its lists of leaders in virtually every category. The change was strongly felt at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, one of the two remaining Negro Leagues stadiums still in use.
Lauren Chavis-Ferrer, a teacher in Paterson, came to the stadium on Wednesday wearing her Josh Gibson jersey. Gibson, who'd played catcher for the Homestead Grays in the Negro Leagues, came out on top in many categories, after the new change in statistics.
"Finally, African Americans are getting their due, and they're being noticed for their stats," Chavis-Ferrer said, as she stood on the upper deck of the stadium, where her idol, Gibson, as well as other all-time great Negro Leagues players had made history.
"I feel the ghosts of all the past players, absolutely," she said.
Two other fans at the stadium, Kristin and Alex Paskiewicz, learned of the new stats when PIX11 News informed them about it for this story.
"That's so cool!" Kristin Paszkiewicz exclaimed, "and we're here, where the magic happened!"
A clear example of the change is seen at the top of the MLB list of career batting average leaders. The top three on the list, dating from the first professional game, on May 4, 1869 to May 28, 2024, were:
- Ty Cobb
- Rogers Hornsby
- Ed Delahanty
As of Wednesday, May 29, 2024, that list has transformed, with Negro Leagues statistics being included. It's now:
- Josh Gibson
- Ty Cobb
- Oscar Charleston
Charleston and Gibson were Negro League legends. Adding them to the best-of list, based on their stats, said Paterson Mayor André Sayegh, means, "They're helping us keep their legends alive."
Sayegh is a booster of the Charles Muth Museum at Hinchliffe Stadium, which is the most extensive depository of Negro Leagues items and exhibits outside of the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
Its director, Jessica Bush, pointed out that the newly added statistics, while impressive, still don't tell the whole story of what Negro Leagues players accomplished.
They were on "teams that were playing three, four, five games in a day," Bush said. "When you're looking at players who were sleeping on the sides of roads, and not in hotels, not in homes, and you look at what they were capable of doing," she continued, "it's a pretty incredible thing when you think about the, like, background story of what these players were living through and how they were playing the game compared to how other professional teams were playing the game."
With the newly updated statistics, Gibson now leads all players in career batting, single season batting, slugging, and OPS -- a combination of on-base and slugging percentages. It means he's statistically the greatest player in the history of the game, officially.
Gibson played at Hinchliffe Stadium on the opposing team, the Homestead Grays, out of Pittsburgh.
Other local highlights from the new decision include the fact that Jackie Robinson, who of course broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, will also have his two seasons in the Negro Leagues added to his overall status, boosting his already legendary record.
Also, Mule Suttles, a first baseman with the Newark Eagles, is now in the top 10 players of all time in single season batting.
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