The Baseball Guru - RALEIGH "BIZ" MACKEY by John B Holway

RALEIGH "BIZ" MACKEY

b 7/27/97 Eagle Pass TX d 1959 Los Angeles BB TR 6'2 210. Hall of Fame 2006

Possibly the greatest defensive catcher in history, black or white, and the best handler of pitchers, who rhapsodized about him.

Josh Gibson's owner, Cum Posey, picked Mackey as his all-star catcher over Gibson.

"I couldn't carry his glove," said Roy Campanella, who acknowledged that Mackey taught him everything he knew. ("You saw Campanella catch, you saw Mackey," old-timers smiled.) Campy saw both Mackey and the PHI Athletics' Mickey Cochrane in their heydays and considered Biz the better receiver.

Mackey led the NNL in batting in 1923 with .441.

With Jesse “Nip” Winters, Biz formed one of the greatest batteries ever, leading Hilldale to three straight pennants, 1923-5 and to the black world championship of 1925,

Biz grew up in the same town as Smoky Joe William -- Seguin TX.

In 1959 Mackey took a bow before 90,000 people in Los Angeles honoring Campanella, who told the throng, "This is the man who started me on my career."

He died soon after that.

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g ab h 2b 3b hr hr% ba sb psn

1920 IND ABCs 24 82 27 4 1 1 6 .329 0 ss

1921 84 284 90 10 10 13 25 .317 4 ss,c

1922 82 288 99 15 14 6 9 .344 5 ss,c

1923 PHI Hilldales w 63 248 109 9 2 9 21 .441* 5

1924 - 361 132 24 3 3 6 .366 0 1b

1925 - 246 85 15 3 4 9 .346 11

1926 75 370 115 17* 2 10 15 .311 14*

1927 73 280 71 1 2 0 0 .254 1 c

1928 c 57 226 77 3 2 2 4 .341 3

1929 40 159 49 0 2 2 7 .308 1

1930 PHI,BAL 30 121 45 3 2 3 13 .372 1 c,if

1931 PHI Stars 72 260 91 3 2 3 7 .350 0

1932 Japan

1933 PHI 24 89 28 3 1 0 0 .298 0 c,3,s

1934 - 127 38 2 0 1 5 .299 0 c

1935 PHI,NWK 60 221 56 5 0 0 0 .252 1

1936 BAL Elite G 47 176 47 7 4 2 6 .267 0

1937 PHI,BAL 26 81 24 2 0 0 0 .299 0

1938 BAL - 123 - - - - - .285 0 c,3

1939 BAL/NWK - 179 43 2 0 7 21 .240 1

1940 NWK Eagles 53 193 51 6 0 1 3 .264 0

1941 - 56 14 - - - - .250

1942-3 Did not play

1944 NWK 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 1.000 0

1945 16 61 16 9 0 1 9 .279 0

1946 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 M,ph

_________________________________________________

- 40013 12813 127 41 67 9 .320 40

HR% = HR per 550 AB

Playoffs

1934 PHI - 19 7 2 0 1 29 .360

1939 BAL 3 12 6 0 0 0 0 .500 0

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- 31 13 2 0 1 18 .419

World Series

1924 PHI 10 40 10 0 1 0 0 .250 0 c,3b

1925 6 25 9 3 1 1 22 .360 1

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16 65 19 3 2 1 15 .292 1

East-West Game

1935-47 6 15 3 0 0 0 0 .200 3 c

Cuba

1920-21 Bacharach G - 19 7 3 1 0 0 .368 0 c

1924-25 Almendares - 152 47 11 5 0 0 .309 -

_____________________________________

- 171 54 14 6 0 0 .316 0

Japan

1927 No record

California

To Kum

Florida

1920-1 2 7 5 0 1 0 0 .714 1

1921-2 no record

Vs white big leaguers

1920 Stengel Stars 2 10 4 0 0 0 0 .400 -

1921-2 California 10 37 15 1 2 2 30 .405

1922-3 California 7 29 13 2 1 1 19 .448

1923 Athletics 5 20 5 0 0 0 0 .250 -

1925-6 California 20 76 16 0 0 2 14 .211

1926 Grove, Heimach 6 20 6 0 0 0 0 .300 -

1926-7 California 6 21 9 2 0 1 26 .429

1927-8 2 8 6 2 0 0 0 .750

1928 Gove,Rommel 2 8 3 - - - - .375 -

1928-9 California 16 62 32 4 0 2 18 .516

1929-30 6 24 9 0 0 1 23 .333

1930-1 3 12 3 1 0 0 0 .250

1935-6 6 17 4 0 0 0 0 .232

1936 Feller, etc 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0

1937-8 California 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 .250

1940-1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

1941-2 2 7 1 0 0 0 0 .143

1943-4 6 21 5 0 0 0 0 .238

1944-5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000

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121 382 132 12 3 9 13 .346

Combined

Negro League - 3998 1281 127 41 65 9 .320 40

Post season - 96 32 5 2 1 5 .333 0

East-West 6 15 3 0 0 0 0 .200 3

Cuba - 171 54 14 6 0 0 .316 0

Florida - 7 5 0 1 0 0 .714 1

Vs Big leaguers 121 382 132 12 3 9 13 .346 0

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- 44999 14749 158 53 77 11 .327 44

/// also see pitching ///