Also Read:
My Hall
of Fame Ballot
Lloyd
or Johnson?
Gibson's Stadium
Blasts
RALEIGH "BIZ" MACKEY
b 7/27/97 Eagle Pass
TX d 1959
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 --
In 1959 Mackey took a bow before 90,000 people in
He died soon after that.
class=WordSection3>
1920
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
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
________________________________________________
- 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
_______________________________________________
16 65 19 3 2 1 15 .292 1
East-West Game
1935-47 6 15 3 0 0 0 0 .200 3 c
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
1927 No record
To Kum
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
1922-3
1923 Athletics 5 20 5 0 0 0 0 .250 -
1925-6
1926 Grove, Heimach 6 20 6 0 0 0 0 .300 -
1926-7
1927-8 2 8 6 2 0 0 0 .750
1928 Gove,Rommel 2 8 3 - - - - .375 -
1928-9
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
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
___________________________________________
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
Vs Big leaguers 121 382 132 12 3 9 13 .346 0
_______________________________________
- 44999 14749 158 53 77 11 .327 44
/// also see pitching ///