Joe Black

Born: 2/8/1924 in Plainfield, NJ, USA

Died: 5/17/2002 in Scottsdale, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1952-05-01 | Final Game: 1957-09-11

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 220 lbs

Full name: Joseph Black

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Biography

Joe Black was a talented pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball during the 1950s. Born in 1924, he played from May 1, 1952, to September 11, 1957, during an era characterized by the expansion of the league and increasing competition. Black was known for his powerful right arm and competitive spirit, which earned him a solid career record of 30-12. He concluded his playing days with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.91, showcasing his ability to navigate the challenges posed by opposing hitters. Throughout his career, Black accumulated 222 strikeouts and secured 25 saves, demonstrating his versatility and effectiveness in both starting and relief roles. His contributions to the game were significant during a time when pitching depth was crucial for team success. Black's legacy is remembered not only for his on-field achievements but also for representing the growing integration of African American players in the sport, as he became one of the first black pitchers in the National League, paving the way for future generations of players.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
239.0	228.0	22.0	46.0	4.0	2.0	2.0	15.0	6.0	0	2.0	0.202	0.226	0.263	0.489

Pitching

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA
189.0	0	0	72.0	49.0	0	0	0.0	620.0	318.0	125.0	18.0	0	0	1.80

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1943	1.0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
1944	11.0	9.0	0	1.0	0	0	0	0	2.0	0	0.111	0.273	0.111	0.384
1945	2.0	2.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
1946	45.0	44.0	5.0	8.0	1.0	0	0	2.0	1.0	0	0.182	0.200	0.205	0.405
1947	58.0	57.0	4.0	14.0	0	0	0	1.0	0	0	0.246	0.246	0.246	0.492
1948	60.0	53.0	3.0	9.0	2.0	0	0	2.0	3.0	1.0	0.170	0.228	0.208	0.436
1949	61.0	61.0	10.0	14.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	10.0	0	1.0	0.230	0.230	0.410	0.640
1950	1.0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season	W	GS	CG	H	R	ER	HR	ERA
1943	2.0	1.0	0	8.0	7.0	0	0	0.00
1944	6.0	6.0	3.0	40.0	23.0	3.0	0	0.58
1945	5.0	2.0	2.0	10.0	4.0	0	0	0.00
1946	51.0	15.0	8.0	110.0	72.0	24.0	3.0	1.79
1947	53.0	16.0	14.0	183.0	90.0	20.0	3.0	1.13
1948	44.0	15.0	10.0	106.0	46.0	26.0	3.0	1.68
1949	27.0	16.0	12.0	159.0	74.0	51.0	9.0	3.38
1950	1.0	1.0	0	4.0	2.0	1.0	0	3.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
49	36	241	59	29	2	30	806.0	760	333	64	281	454	3.72	0

Career ERA 3.72 vs. league average 3.82 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1943	BEG	NN2	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	3.0	8	2	2	5	6.00	—	0.0
1944	BEG	NN2	0	1	3	1	0	0	0	12.7	22	11	2	3	7.82	3.57 (-119%)	-116.5
1945	BEG	NN2	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	7.0	5	4	4	5	5.14	—	0.0
1946	BEG	NN2	6	9	24	15	8	0	1	126.0	114	53	50	69	3.79	3.59 (-5%)	1632.6
1947	BEG	NN2	5	10	22	13	10	0	3	130.0	138	58	58	65	4.02	3.97 (-1%)	1717.7
1948	BEG	NN2	8	3	17	12	8	2	1	113.3	82	25	36	85	1.99	4.10 (+52%)	4372.2
1952	BRO	NL	15	4	56	2	1	0	15	142.3	102	34	41	85	2.15	3.70 (+42%)	2931.3
1953	BRO	NL	6	3	34	3	0	0	5	72.7	74	43	27	42	5.33	4.14 (-29%)	-1108.3
1954	BRO	NL	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	7.0	11	9	5	3	11.57	—	0.0
1955	BRO	NL	1	0	6	0	0	0	0	15.3	15	5	5	9	2.93	4.00 (+27%)	376.2
1955	CIN	NL	5	2	32	11	1	0	3	102.3	106	48	25	54	4.22	4.00 (-6%)	788.2
1956	CIN	NL	3	2	32	0	0	0	2	61.7	61	31	25	27	4.52	3.96 (-14%)	-1662.7
1957	WSN	AL	0	1	7	0	0	0	0	12.7	22	10	1	2	7.11	3.83 (-85%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
248	234	16	44	3	0	0	17	1	10	38	0.188	0.231	0.201	0.432	-117.0

Career AVG .188 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 27.5% below league average.

Career OBP .231 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 30.2% below league average.

Career SLG .201 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 46.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.432 vs. league average 0.705 across their career seasons — 38.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1943	BEG	NN2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1944	BEG	NN2	3	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1945	BEG	NN2	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1946	BEG	NN2	25	40	5	8	1	2	0	3	0	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1947	BEG	NN2	23	47	3	13	0	1	0	2	0	0.277	—	—	—	—	-117.0
1948	BEG	NN2	19	43	3	9	2	5	1	4	0	0.209	—	—	—	—	0.0
1952	BRO	NL	57	36	1	5	0	5	0	0	15	0.139	—	—	—	—	0.0
1953	BRO	NL	34	17	1	4	0	1	0	0	5	0.235	—	—	—	—	0.0
1954	BRO	NL	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1955	BRO	NL	6	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1955	CIN	NL	32	30	3	3	0	2	0	1	10	0.100	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	CIN	NL	34	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1957	WSN	AL	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
5	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	BB	SO	AVG
1953	WS	BRO	1	0	0	0	.000
1952	WS	BRO	3	6	1	6	0.000
1948	NLC	BEG	1	4	0	0	0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1	3	5	4	0	31.3	24	11	12	15	3.16

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1953	WS	BRO	0	0	1	0	1.0	1	1	0	2	9.00
1952	WS	BRO	1	2	3	3	21.3	15	6	8	9	2.53
1948	NLC	BEG	0	1	1	1	9.0	8	4	4	4	4.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	0	0	0	0
OF	1	1	1	0	0	0
P	241	55	38	157	19	10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1943	BEG	P	2	1	0	0	0	0
1944	BEG	P	3	1	0	4	0	0
1945	BEG	P	1	1	0	2	0	0
1946	BEG	P	24	16	10	36	6	1
1947	BEG	P	22	13	4	36	4	4
1948	BEG	1B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1948	BEG	OF	1	1	1	0	0	0
1948	BEG	P	17	12	5	21	1	0
1952	BRO	P	56	0	7	18	4	2
1953	BRO	P	34	0	3	11	1	0
1954	BRO	P	5	0	0	1	0	0
1955	BRO	P	6	0	0	1	0	0
1955	CIN	P	32	11	3	17	2	1
1956	CIN	P	32	0	5	7	1	2
1957	WS1	P	7	0	1	3	0	0