Overview [ edit ]

The 1924 Colored World Series was the first official championship series between two recognized Negro League championship teams. There had been late- and post-season series between Negro teams before, and there had been unofficial champions of Black Baseball crowned in previous years, but this was only the fifth season since the founding of the Negro National League and the second since the Eastern Colored League began play, and it was the first meeting between teams that were officially league champions in the same fashion as the white World Series. While the series was initially arranged by agreement between the teams, it gained the approval of both leagues. No Colored World Series had been scheduled in 1923, owing to unresolved conflicts between league presidents Rube Foster and Ed Bolden, but there was considerable pressure from the black media and from fans to hold a championship.

The series was a best-five-of-nine contest between the NNL champion Kansas City Monarchs and the ECL champion Hildales. In a ten-game series, the Monarchs narrowly defeated Hilldale 5 games to 4, with one tie game.

The Teams [ edit ]

The Monarchs and Hilldale line up prior to Game 5.

Kansas City Monarchs [ edit ]

Administration [ edit ]

Owners: J.L. Wilkinson and Tom Baird

Home Park: Muehlebach Field

Manager: José Méndez became the Monarchs' manager in mid-1923 and led the team to the 1923 NNL title. 1924 was his second of three NNL titles, and his only world title in two tries.

Pitchers [ edit ]

Catchers [ edit ]

Name POS G AB H HR RBI SB BA OBA SLG Frank Duncan C 70 247 66 0 37 6 .267 ~.358 .332

Infielders [ edit ]

Name POS G AB H HR RBI SB BA OBA SLG Newt Allen 2B 75 302 83 2 32 3 .275 ~.362 .348 Lem Hawkins 1B 63 272 76 0 27 2 .279 ~.340 .349 Newt Joseph 3B 73 279 101 4 60 2 .362 ~.406 .523 Walter "Dobie" Moore SS 77 309 111 5 53 3 .359 ~.404 .550

Outfielders [ edit ]

Name POS G AB H HR RBI SB BA OBA SLG Oscar "Heavy" Johnson LF 72 272 101 5 62 2 .371 ~.424 .548 Hurley McNair RF 72 275 97 8 55 3 .359 ~.407 .520 Carroll "Dink" Mothell CF 70 243 69 0 37 2 .284 ~.372 .387 George Sweatt OF 34 118 32 3 16 1 .271 ~.323 .424

George Sweatt was primarily an outfielder, but also played infield positions when called upon. Bullet Rogan was a true two-way player, taking a regular pitching turn and also playing all outfield positions. Rogan also pinch hit and played second base on occasion.

Hilldale [ edit ]

Adiministration [ edit ]

Owner: Ed Bolden

Home Park: Hilldale Park

Manager: Frank Warfield jumped from the Detroit Stars to Hilldale after the 1922 season, and was named manager in September 1923. This was Warfield's first full season managing Hilldale.

Pitchers [ edit ]

Catchers [ edit ]

Name POS G AB H HR RBI SB BA OBA SLG Joe Lewis C 27 84 28 0 9 3 .333 ~.385 .488 Louis Santop C 49 181 62 5 29 4 .343 ~.374 .503

Infielders [ edit ]

Name POS G AB H HR RBI SB BA OBA SLG Tom Allen 1B 28 66 13 0 3 1 .197 ~.232 .258 George "Tank" Carr 1B 54 180 53 1 26 13 .294 ~.324 .428 Judy Johnson 3B 70 263 90 4 48 10 .342 ~.389 .510 Raleigh "Biz" Mackey SS 70 280 93 4 41 8 .332 ~.364 .462 Jake Stephens SS 28 104 19 1 6 4 .183 ~.227 .269 Frank Warfield 2B 70 272 85 2 36 22 .313 ~.355 .393

Outfielders [ edit ]

Name POS G AB H HR RBI SB BA OBA SLG Otto Briggs RF 58 228 65 0 14 11 .285 ~.386 .355 George "Dibo" Johnson CF 64 224 56 3 28 4 .250 ~.320 .366 Clint Thomas LF 70 273 77 8 48 14 .282 ~.326 .476

Biz Mackey split his time mainly between short stop and first base, catching only a limited number of games, and led the team in games at short. Jake Stephens was considered better defensively, but Mackey was actually the starting short stop.

According to legend, manager Warfield shuffled his defensive lineup in response to Stephens broken ankle late in the season, moving Judy Johson from third to short, Mackey to third, and Santop to catcher as replacement for Mackey, but Mackey was already the starting shortstop and Santop the primary catcher, with Joe Lewis as his backup. The late-season defensive realignment was apparently for other reasons.

The Games [ edit ]

Game One [ edit ]

Friday, October 3 1924, at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia

Attendance: 5,366

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 1 6 6 0 Hilldale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 8 6 W: Bullet Rogan (1-0) L: Phil Cockrell (0-1) HRs: none Umpires: McBride, Freeman, Coolan, and McDevitt

Rogan pitched an 8-hitter, holding Hilldale scoreless until two out in the ninth. Warfield’s bases-loaded error in the sixth allowed the Monarchs to score two, and aided by Cockrell’s three errors in the same inning, opened up a five-run inning for the Monarchs.

The first two games were played in the Philadelphia Phillies' Baker Bowl instead of Hilldale's home park to take advantage of the larger capacity.

In the top of the first inning plate umpire McBride, who regularly umpired in the IL, halted play and called a ball on Phill Cockrell when Cockrell threw a spitball to Lem Hawkins. The spitball had been banned in the white leagues since 1920, but was still a legal pitch in the Negro Leagues. After a brief conference between Ed Bolden, Rube Foster, and the umpires, the umpires agreed to allow the spitter throughout the games.

Game Two [ edit ]

Saturday, October 4 1924 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia

Attendance: 8,661

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 Hilldale 5 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 - 11 15 2 W: Nip Winters (1-0) L: Bill McCall (0-1) HRs: none Umpires: McDevitt, McBride, Freeman, and Doolan

Bill McCall could not get through the first inning, facing only three men and recording no outs before "Plunk" Drake came in to relieve. Drake did not fare much better, lasting only 1 2/3 innings himself. Hilldale led 9-0 by the end of the third.

Nip Winters shut out the normally high-scoring Monarchs on four singles.

Game Three [ edit ]

Sunday, October 5 1924 at Maryland Baseball Park in Baltimore

Attendance: 5,503

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 R H E Kansas City 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 6 8 5 Hilldale 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 6 10 1 HRs: KC – Newt Joseph (1) Umpires: Freeman, Dolan, McDevitt, and McBride

The Monarchs took a one-run lead into the bottom of the ninth and again into the bottom of the twelfth, but were unable to put Hilldale away. William Bell pitched 12 innings for no decision; he played the thirteenth inning in right field, as Rogan came in from center field to pitch the thirteenth inning. Monarch fielding errors in the fifth and ninth innings allowed Hilldale to stay in the game. Biz Mackey received three intentional walks during the game. The game was called on account of darkness after thirteen innings.

Before the game, NNL president Rube Foster and ECL president Ed Bolden formally shook hands, bringing the feud between their leagues to an official end.

This game was played at the home park of the Baltimore Black Sox on account of Pennsylvania's blue laws, which did not allow games on Sunday.

Game Four [ edit ]

Monday, October 6 1924 at Maryland Baseball Park in Baltimore

Attendance: 584

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Kansas City 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 4 Hilldale 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 4 1 W: Rube Currie (1-0) L: Cliff Bell (0-1) HRs: none Umpires: Freeman, Dolan, McDevitt, and McBride

Following Sunday's tie game, another game was hastily scheduled for Monday. Before a sparse weekday crowd, former Monarch Rube Currie relieved Red Ryan with one out in the third and the Monarchs leading 3-0, and shut them out the rest of the game. Hilldale tied the game in the third on two base hits, a walk, and three steals, including Otto Briggs’ steal of home. Two walks and two errors helped score Hilldale’s winning run with none out in the ninth.

Game Five [ edit ]

Saturday, October 11 1924, Muehlebach Field, Kansas City

Attendance: 3,891

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Hilldale 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 5 10 1 Kansas City 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 4 W: Nip Winters (2-0) L: Bullet Rogan (1-1) HRs: Hilldale – Judy Johnson Umpires: McGrew, Anderson, Costello, and Goeckel

The game nearly had a late start, due do a high school football game at Muehlebach that ended only a half-hour before game time. Judy Johnson’s three-run inside-the-park home run with one out in the ninth shocked the crowd into silence and provided the difference in the game. A controversial umpire call and three defensive mishaps helped set the table for Johnson’s heroics. Until the fatal ninth, the game had been a classic pitchers duel between staff aces Winters and Rogan. Winters finished the game with a flourish, retiring 25 of the last 26 men he faced. Hilldale had taken a 3-1 lead in games.

Game Six [ edit ]

Sunday, October 12 1924 at Muehlebach Field in Kansas City

Attendance: 8,885

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Hilldale 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 11 0 Kansas City 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 6 12 1 W: William Bell (1-0) L: Scrip Lee (0-1) HRs: none Umpires: Anderson, Costello, Goeckel, and McGrew

Phil Cockrell started the game for Hilldale despite a painful boil under his arm, and was driven from the mound in the first inning, allowing four runs. Scrip Lee pitched the remainder of the game, but tired in the eighth when the Monarchs scored the tie-breaking run on George Sweatt's triple.

Game Seven [ edit ]

Tuesday, October 14 1924 at Muehlebach Field in Kansas City

Attendance: 2,539

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E Hilldale 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 7 1 Kansas City 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 11 1 W: José Méndez (1-0) L: Nip Winters (1-1) HRs: none Umpires: Costello, Goeckel, McGrew, and Anderson

Nip Winters pitched twelve innings and took the loss, while Méndez pitched brilliantly in relief to win and to knot the series at three games. Newt Joseph stole home in the fourth inning to start the Monarchs’ scoring. Bullet Rogan did not hit the ball out of the infield, but still managed to get three hits, score one run, and drive in the winning tally in the twelfth inning.

The game had actually been scheduled for October 13, but had to be postponed one day due to because of a benefit game for a local white hospital.





Game Eight [ edit ]

Saturday, October 18 1924 at Schorling's Park in Chicago

Attendance: 2,608

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Hilldale 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 9 1 Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 9 0 W: Bullet Rogan (2-1) L: Rube Currie (1-1) HRs: none Umpires: Goeckel, Moore, McGrew, and Costello

In one of Negro League baseball’s legendary games, the Monarchs rallied for three runs in the ninth to stun Hilldale, winning their third straight game and taking a 4-3 series lead. Warfield's defensive machinations, moving Judy Johnson over to short in place of Jake Stephens, moving Mackey to third in place of Johnson, and having Santop catch in place of Mackey, came back to haunt him in the bottom of the ninth inning: Rogan beat out a hit to Mackey, who was playing deep. Dobie Moore also singled off of Johnson's glove. With two out and the bases loaded, Santop dropped Frank Duncan’s foul popup, and Duncan singled through Mackey's legs, scoring the tying and winning runs.

Also legendary was Frank Warfield's bitter post-game verbal assault against Santop. Even though Mackey and Johnson had contributed their own misplays to the defensive meltdown (and Mackey had failed twice in key defensive situations), Warfield attacked Santop following the loss, laying blame squarely at Santop's feet. Santop was reportedly reduced to tears by the tirade, and it is said that he never recovered from the humiliation.

Game Nine [ edit ]

Sunday, October 19 1924 at Schorling's Park in Chicago

Attendance: 6,271

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Hilldale 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2 5 13 4 Kansas City 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 8 5 W: Nip Winters (3-1) L: "Plunk" Drake (0-1) HRs: none Umpires: McGrew, Costello, Goeckel, and Moore

Starting and completing his fourth game of the series, Nip Winters won for the third time to tie the series. William Bell started for Kansas City, but was shelled with none out in the fifth inning when Hilldale tied the score 2-2. Drake pitched creditably until tiring in the ninth, when Hilldale scored two to win. The Series was now tied for the third time. Despite having harangued Santop for his defensive lapse the day before, Warfield started Santop at catcher again. Santop played errorless ball and made two hits in the game.





Game Ten [ edit ]

Monday, October 20 1924 at Schorling's Park in Chicago

Attendance: 1,549

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Hilldale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 6 0 W: José Méndez (2-0) L: Scrip Lee (0-2) HRs: none Umpires: Costello, Goeckel, Moore, and Conlin

The teams met in the final game before a small crowd, attributed to inclement weather in Chicago that day. Although still weak from surgery before the series and advised by a doctor not to exert himself, Méndez had already pitched 10 innings of relief in the first nine games, but decided to start the final game himself. Foster agreed with the strategy, and Game Ten became part of Méndez's legend.

Méndez matched Hilldale starter Scrip Lee zero for zero for seven full innings until Lee tired in the bottom of the eighth. Lee changed from his normal submarine delivery to an overhand style in that inning, and the Monarchs scored five runs off of him, including one by Méndez himself. When Hilldale went out in the ninth, the Monarchs had won the first Colored World Series

Notes of the Series [ edit ]

Rube Foster had originally scheduled games Five, Six, and Seven for his own ballpark, but Kansas City ownership and fans strenuously objected to losing such lucrative dates, and Foster relented, scheduling the last three games for Chicago.

Despite the fact that both leagues employed African-American umpires during the regular season, both teams agreed to hire umpires from Organized Ball (primarily from the AA and IL), to avoid any possibility of favoritism charges being made.

Ticket prices for the series were set at $1.00 for general admission and $1.65 for box seats. Typical in-season prices were 35 and 85 cents, respectively.

There was no choice of a Most Valuable Player, but author and researcher Larry Lester chose Nip Winters as MVP for his 3-1 record (the only loss coming in a 12-inning game), 21 strikeouts, and 1.16 ERA. He also gave consideration to Bullet Rogan (2-1 WL, 2.57 ERA, and a .325 BA), Judy Johnson (.365 BA and 7 RBI), and José Méndez (2-0, 1.42).

Net profits were $23,463.44 and were split as follows: 10 per cent ($2,346.34) went to the National Commission (split evenly between each league); 42 per cent ($9,854.64) to the winning Monarchs (half to the ownership and 16 player shares of $307.96 each); 28 per cent ($6,569.76) to the losing Hilldale club (half to the ownership and 17 player shares of $193.22 each); 12 per cent ($2,815.62) split evenly between the American Giants and Black Sox, who finished second in their respective leagues; and 8 per cent ($1,877.08) split between each of the third-place teams, Detroit and the Lincoln Giants.

Sources [ edit ]