Forgotten Heroes: Webster McDonald. Center for Negro League Baseball Research. Dr. Layton Revel. and. Luis Munoz

Transcription

1 Forgotten Heroes: Webster McDonald by Center for Negro League Baseball Research Dr. Layton Revel and Copyright 2014 Luis Munoz

2 Webster McDonald The Big League Assassin Throughout the history of Negro League baseball it was common practice for Negro League teams to play exhibition games against all-star teams composed of Major League ball players. These games were most often played after the conclusion of the regular Major League season. Occasionally games would also be played during spring training. It is important to note that sometimes these Major League all-star squads would also include Minor League players on their rosters. Regardless of the make-up of the Big League rosters, they most always fielded very competitive teams. With the possible exception of Smokey Joe Williams (14-4-1), no other player in the history of Negro League baseball was as effective against Major League hitters as Webster McDonald. The following chart summarizes McDonald s record against Major-Minor League competition. Year Team MLBB Pitcher Score Result 1928 Homestead Grays Jack Quinn 5-1 Won 1930 Baltimore Black Sox Roy Sherrid 8-5 Won Baltimore Black Sox Jim Weaver 10-0 Won Baltimore Black Sox Won Baltimore Black Sox Ed Rommel 1-0 Won Baltimore Black Sox Ed Rommel 5-3 Won 1931 Hilldale Fred Heimach 7-0 Won Hilldale Fred Heimach 3-6 Lost Baltimore Black Sox George Earnshaw 3-2 Won 1932 Baltimore Black Sox Fred Frankhouse 2-8 Lost Baltimore Black Sox Buck Newsom 6-9 Lost Baltimore Black Sox Buck Newsom 9-8 Won 1933 Philadelphia Stars Red Phillips 10-7 Won Philadelphia Stars Red Phillips 8-0 Won Philadelphia Stars Johnny Russell 10-6 Won 1934 Philadelphia Stars Dizzy Dean 8-0 Won 1935 Colored League All Stars Dizzy Dean 7-1 Won Colored League All Stars Dizzy Dean 11-1 Won Won 15 Lost 3 Perhaps Webster McDonald s best game against Major League competition occurred in1939. After Marion Sugar Cain of the Colored All Stars gave up three quick runs, Webster entered the game. Newspaper accounts and researchers differ as to whether he pitched 7 innings or 8.1 innings, but all agree that McDonald no-hit his Major League opponents for the rest of the game. From the box score that was examined by the Center for Negro League Baseball Research, there is no doubt that he pitched seven (7) innings of no-hit ball against the White Major Leaguers. Even though he didn t get the win, it was undoubtedly one of the best games of his career. Negro League researcher John Holway has identified 3 additional wins and 1 additional loss for Webster McDonald against Major League competition. One of these wins was a game played in 1930 against a Major League team with Earl Whitehill pitching. The Negro Leaguers won the game in the tenth inning but George Harney not Webster McDonald got the win. Holway mistakenly gave the win to McDonald. In addition to the four decisions discussed above, Holway also identifies another game in 1931 in which the Negro Leaguers won by a score of 5-3 against a team of Major-Minor Leaguers with Chambers pitching. Holway feels that McDonald either got the win or a save in this game. The Center for Negro League Baseball Research has not been able to validate the other 3 games (Whitehill game was definitely not a Webster win) presented by Holway in his publications. John Holway credits Webster McDonald with a record of 14-2 in one of his books and 16-4 against Major League opposition in another of his books.

3 Webster Mac McDonald was born on January 01, 1900 in Glasgow, Delaware. When he was three years old, he was sent to Philadelphia to live with his aunt (Sally Clayter) who raised him. He stood six feet tall and weighed approximately 180 to 190 pounds during his playing career. He batted from the left hand side of the plate and threw right handed. McDonald was a submarine pitcher whose delivery came from a variety of angles. Even though he didn t have great speed, he had the mastery of numerous pitches that always made him tough to hit against. Webster was known to have pitched with what seemed like an effortless motion. He had exceptional control, a rising curveball, good change of speed and the ability to mix up his pitches which most always kept hitters off balance. In addition his fastball sank which often made hitters beat the ball into the ground. Mac coupled all of this with being extremely smart on the mound. He knew how to read batters and seemed to always know the opposing hitter s weakness. Webster McDonald has often been referred to as a right handed pitcher with style. After seeing Webster McDonald pitch in 1930, Minneapolis Journal journalist and world famous sports reporter Halsey Hall described Mac s pitching style as follows: He was a cross between a bowler and a diamond heaver. He gets down on his right knee, brushes the mound with his right knuckles and let s go, his delivery being a change of pace and a snake ball. The ball didn t curve it just refused to follow any given course and snaked up there like Lola, the shimmy dancer, on a spree. Paul Jake Stephens who played with and against Webster McDonald shared the following in an interview with Negro League researcher John Holway: When he had one of his good days, there wasn t anybody going to lick him. When he d throw that fastball, that thing jumped and that curve ball would come in like a whip. He was always dignified, a perfect gentleman. Webster McDonald Chicago American Giants National Baseball Hall of Famer and Homestead Grays superstar, Buck Leonard, batted against McDonald a significant number of times during his career. He had the following to say about Mac s pitching ability. He had good control. Whatever your weakness was, he d throw the ball there. If you swing the bat real fast, he d slow the ball up on you. If you were dragging the bat around, he d throw a fast one. Webster McDonald was a very good pitcher, but in reality Mac did not have a great career in the Negro Leagues. His claim to fame was how he pitched against Major League opposition. He was virtually unbeatable when pitching against the Big Leaguers. No other pitcher in the history of Negro League baseball, with the possible exception of Smokey Joe Williams who was 14-4 (.778) against Major League opposition, was more effective against the Major Leaguers. The Center for Negro League Baseball Research has confirmed a 15-3 (.833) won-loss record for Webster 1

4 McDonald against Major League all-star squads. Fellow Negro League pitcher Bill Holland had the following to say about Webster McDonald s performance against Major League opponents: He could beat them any day of the week. Put McDonald on those big-league stars and they couldn t do a thing with him. He had them helpless. Both on and off the field McDonald was characterized as quiet, dignified and a complete gentleman with impeccable manners. Throughout his entire career he was respected by players on both sides of the field, management, the media and fans. Early Baseball Career Webster McDonald honed his baseball skills on the play grounds of South Philadelphia. As he got older he moved his way up to the top sandlot and semipro teams in the Philadelphia area. Webster was also known to have regularly sneaked across the river from Philadelphia (PA) to Camden (NJ) on Sundays where he would play for local teams. Mac began his professional baseball career with the Philadelphia Giants in The Philadelphia Giants were a lower level club that played an independent schedule in the East during the 1918 season. The top teams in the East in 1918 included the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Cuban Stars, Grand Central Terminal Red Caps, Hilldale, New York Lincoln Giants, Pennsylvania Red Caps and the Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York. It is important to note that the Philadelphia Giants team that Webster McDonald played for in 1918 is not the same team that Walter Schlichter founded in 1902 and who dominated black baseball through The Philadelphia Giants team that Webster debuted with was a new version of the Philadelphia Giants who merely borrowed the name of their famous predecessor. The leading hitters for the Philadelphia Giants during their 1918 season were Jesse Bragg (3B), Blainey Hall (OF), Joe Hewitt (SS), John Henry Pop Lloyd (1B), Johnny Pugh (OF) and Wabishaw Doc Wiley (C). Andrew Stringbean Williams was the ace of the pitching staff. On May 5 th of 1918 Webster McDonald started a game for Hilldale. Unfortunately, he didn t make it out of the third inning before giving up four runs of which only two were earned. McDonald was charged with the loss. Webster s tenure with Hilldale was very short-lived. Hilldale went on to have a very successful season without McDonald and ended the year with a record of 41-7 (.854). After not being able to break into the starting rotation of Hilldale, Webster McDonald joined the Madison Stars for the 1919 season. The Madison Stars were owned by wealthy black theater owner, John Gibson and managed by Dan McClellan who was an outstanding pitcher during his career. The team had their own ball park in Philadelphia located at 34 th and Reed streets. The Madison Stars were a lower level club in the East and unofficially served as the farm club of Hilldale. In an interview with John Holway that appeared in his book Voices from the Great Baseball Leagues Webster described his going to the Madison Stars as follows: The best colored team in the East then was Hilldale in Philadelphia. But they had so many good pitchers. I couldn t break in with them. We were sort of Hilldale s farm club. Hilldale wouldn t play some of these teams around here. They wanted the big part of the meat and we took the little end. Hilldale used the Madison Stars to give young ball players more experience. Besides Webster McDonald, Otto Briggs, Chance Cummings, Frank Dallard and Judy Johnson all got their start with the Madison Stars before joining Hilldale. 2

5 McDonald quickly became one of the starting pitchers for the Madison Stars. Webster s accomplishments on the mound for the Stars got him noticed by Hilldale and in July of 1919 Webster McDonald started one game for Hilldale. He pitched a masterpiece. He went eleven innings for a complete game and the win. During the game he only gave up two hits while striking out ten batters. Webster McDonald started the 1920 season playing for the Norfolk Stars or Norfolk All Stars as they were sometimes called. The Norfolk team was owned and managed by former Page Fence Giants player George Chappie Johnson. The Norfolk Stars were an independent club that barnstormed all over the East Coast and into Canada. Chappie Johnson promoted his team as one of the top and most professional teams in traveling baseball. According to Chappie they were the highest salaried colored team on the road. The Norfolk Stars were billed in the media as one of the fastest colored aggregations in the country. Some of the other top black independent teams in the East in 1920 that the Norfolk Stars played during the time that Webster was on their roster included the Asbury Browns, Baltimore Black Sox, Baltimore Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Capital City Giants, Cuban Stars, Hilldale, Knoxville Giants, Madison Stars, Pennsylvania Giants, Pond Giants, Portsmouth Giants, Trenton Black Sox and Washington Giants. Through his reputation for professionalism and as a top baseball man, Chappie Johnson was able to recruit outstanding talent for his Norfolk team. During the time that McDonald played for the Norfolk Stars, their roster was loaded with former and future Negro League players. Some of these players included Harry Bauchman (2B/SS), John Cason (C), Chance Cummings (1B), James Crump (2B), Frank Crockett (OF), Chick Harper (SS), Ed Kemp (OF), Cecil Johnson (SS) and Carl Perry (2B). Besides Webster McDonald, Chappie Johnson s pitching staff also included Negro League stars Bill Gatewood, Hosley Scrip Lee, Frank The Red Ant Wickware and Jesse Nip Winters. Norfolk Stars (1920) 3

6 The Norfolk Stars began their season in early April and the team played into late September. The Norfolk Stars started the 1920 season strong. During the month of May they had a winning streak of 12 of 15 games and on May 21 st, Norfolk boasted a won-loss record of 22-5 (.815). As the season progressed, they kept on winning and during one streak in June won 15 of 16 games. The Stars played to large crowds all season. In early April and again in June they drew 7,500 fans for games played at Hilldale Park. Formation of Negro National League (NNL) The Negro National League (NNL) was formed before the start of the 1920 season. Rube Foster, owner of the Chicago American Giants, was the driving force behind the formation of the league. Foster s Negro National League brought formal organization to baseball in the West. The eight teams that played in the Negro National League in their inaugural season and their final standings were as follows: Negro National League (1920) Team Games Record Pct. Standing Chicago American Giants st Detroit Stars nd Kansas City Monarchs rd Indianapolis ABC s th Cuban Stars th St. Louis Giants th Dayton Marcos th Chicago Giants th McDonald joins the Negro National League Webster McDonald s success with the Norfolk Stars did not go unnoticed. In July of 1920 he was signed by the Detroit Stars of the Negro National League. The Detroit Stars were owned by Rube Foster s good friend John Tenny Blount and played their home games at Mack Park. Detroit s hitting attack in 1920 was led by Jimmie Lyons (.351), Edgar Wesley (.288), Pete Hill (.283), Frank Warfield (.277), Chick Harper (.275) and Orville Riggins (.257). Bill Gatewood (17-5) and Bill Holland (12-7) anchored the starting rotation for Detroit. The pitching staff was rounded out by Webster McDonald (3-4), Gunboat Thompson (3-3) and Andy Cooper (1-1). Third baseman Wade Johnston, shortstop Chick Harper and outfielder Jimmie Lyons also pitched in several games for the Detroit Stars in McDonald pitched three complete games in eight starts for the Detroit Stars in 1920 against Negro National League opposition. He went 3-4 (.429) against league opponents during the season. In 50 innings he gave up 55 hits, walked 22 and struck out 13 batters. The Detroit Stars had an excellent season in 1920, especially for a team that had only been formed the year before. They finished the Negro National League season in second place in the final league standings right behind the Chicago American Giants (32-13). The Detroit Stars posted a won-loss record of (.603) against Negro National League competition. Instead of returning to Detroit for the 1921 season, Webster played for the Madison Stars. Some of the other top players for the Madison Stars in 1921 were Tom Brown (OF), Frank Crockett (OF), William Eggie Dallard (OF/C), William Judy Johnson (3B/SS), Don Perry (1B), Cornelius Neal Rhoades (C) and J.D. Roberts (INF). Webster was the ace of the pitching staff that also included Robert Finch, Henry Gillespie and Leon Weldon. 4

7 Detroit Stars (1920) (Back row left to right - Bill Holland, Edgar Wesley, Bruce Petway, Charlie Harper, Bill Gatewood, Webster McDonald and Unknown. Middle row left to right - Buck Hewitt, Pete Hill, Tenny Blount, Jimmie Lyons and Andy Cooper. Seated left to right - Unknown, Bill Force, Frank Warfield and Unknown.) During the 1922 baseball season, Webster McDonald played for five different teams. They were Chappie Johnson s All Stars, Hilldale, Philadelphia Giants, New York Lincoln Giants and the Richmond Giants. Webster McDonald started the 1922 season with the Chappie Johnson All Stars. He had played for Chappie Johnson in 1920 when Chappie ran the Norfolk Stars. The Chappie Johnson All Stars were an independent team that booked games all over the East coast and into Canada. McDonald also appeared briefly for the Hilldale team during the 1922 season. Hilldale was owned by Ed Bolden and fielded a star studded line-up that included: Hilldale (1922) Player Position Player Position Toussaint Tom Allen 1B Otto Briggs OF McKinley Bunny Downs 2B George Johnson OF Judy Johnson SS Chaney White OF Bill Francis 3B Louis Santop C Hilldale also boasted one of the best pitching staffs in the country. The following players pitched for Hilldale during the 1922 season: Phil Cockrell, Willis Pud Flournoy, Kenneth Ping Gardner, Harry Kenyon, Connie Rector, Merven Red Ryan and Doc Sykes. Unable to break into Hilldale s pitching rotation, McDonald s stay with the team was again very short. 5

8 McDonald next moved to the New York Lincoln Giants who were a strong independent team that was managed by Jules Thomas. Jules was also an outstanding outfielder and clutch hitter. George Fiall (SS), Jude Gans (OF), Bill Pierce (1B), Spottswood Poles (OF), Jules Thomas (OF) and Dock Wiley (C) were the top hitters for the Lincoln Giants in While their hitting attack was good, the key to success for the New York Lincoln Giants was their pitching staff. During the season the following players pitched for New York: Ping Gardner, Jack Marshall, Webster McDonald, Huck Rile, Sam Streeter, Dick Whitworth, Smokey Joe Williams and Tom Williams. Unable to break into the starting rotation for New York, Mac was sent down to the Richmond Giants. Richmond had an informal working agreement with the New York Lincoln Giants. Zack Pettus managed the Richmond Giants during the 1922 season. Richmond fielded a strong team that featured the hitting of: Robert Clarke (C), Charles Lindsay (SS), Carl Perry (3B), Zack Pettus (1B) and Sam Warmack (OF). Besides McDonald the pitching staff for the Giants also included John Harper, Arthur Rats Henderson, Henry Richardson and Wade Thompson. According to Webster he had a won-loss record of 15-4 (.789) during his tenure with Richmond during Webster McDonald also played briefly with the Philadelphia Giants during the 1922 season. The 1922 baseball season was very competitive in the East. There was an extreme amount of parity between the following independent teams: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, Baltimore Black Sox, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Hilldale and the New York Lincoln Giants. Formation of the Eastern Colored League When Rube Foster formed the Negro National League (NNL), owners of the top black teams in the East became very concerned that Foster would try to spread his influence into their territories. Behind the leadership of Ed Bolden, owner of Hilldale, the Eastern Colored League (ECL) was formed before the start of the 1923 baseball season. The teams that played in the inaugural season of the Eastern Colored League and their final standing were as follows: Eastern Colored League (1923) Team Record Pct. Rank Hilldale st Cuban Stars (East) nd Brooklyn Royal Giants rd Atlantic City Bacharach Giants th New York Lincoln Giants th Baltimore Black Sox th Webster McDonald tried out for Hilldale in 1923 but was again unable to make the roster. Hilldale already had a wealth of talented pitchers on their staff that included Phil Cockrell, Willis Pud Flournoy, Kenneth Ping Gardner, Wade Hampton, Holsey Scrip Lee, Merven Red Ryan and Jesse Nip Winters. Winters was considered the best pitcher in the East in the 1920 s. Being unable to crack the starting line-up of a team with an exceptional pitching staff was nothing new to Webster McDonald. After leaving Hilldale, Webster caught on with the Philadelphia Giants. The Giants were an independent team that mainly played in New England and Eastern Canada (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick). Philadelphia was a lower level team and Webster took advantage of playing against a lower level of competition than he would have seen in the teams of the Eastern Colored League. According to McDonald he went 27-3 (.900) for the 1923 season with the Philadelphia Giants. Even though they were a lower level team, the Philadelphia Giants still had several well-known players on their roster for at least parts of the 1923 season. Dizzy Dismukes (P), Bill Jackman (P), Jake Stephens (SS) and Bill Yancey (SS) all played for Philadelphia in Having Dizzy 6

9 Dismukes on his team was a tremendous blessing to Webster. According to McDonald, Dismukes really taught him to pitch. Dizzy taught Mac about control, to be more relaxed on the mound and to find his pitching stride. Webster McDonald returned to play for the Philadelphia Giants for the 1924 season. The Giants were managed by Dan McClellan. James Crump (2B), Eggie Dallard (OF), Willie Gisentaner (OF/P), Nat Rogers (C), Charles Chino Smith (OF), Jake Stephens (SS) and Berdell Young (OF) led the hitting attack for Philadelphia. McClellan had an excellent pitching staff that included William Zip Campbell, Henry Gillespie, Willie Gisentaner and Webster McDonald. Newspaper reports credit Webster McDonald of throwing three no-hitters while pitching for Dan McClellan s Philadelphia Giants during the 1924 season. During the 1924 Eastern Colored League season, Webster also played briefly for Hilldale. Hilldale won the Eastern Colored League regular season with a record of (.716). Raleigh Biz Mackey (.356), Louis Santop (.349), Judy Johnson (.342), Joe Lewis (.316), Frank Warfield (.295), George Tank Carr (.284) and Clint Thomas (.284) were the leading hitters for Hilldale in The starting pitching rotation for Hilldale during the 1924 season included: Jesse Nip Winters (27-4), Phil Cockrell (15-2) and Merven Red Ryan (12-7). Webster McDonald was 0-1 in his only documented decision for Hilldale in McDonald Finally Reaches the Big Time and Stays After a poor season in 1924 in which they finished in next to last place in the final Eastern Colored League standings, the Washington Potomacs moved to Wilmington with a commitment to play in the 1925 Eastern Colored League. For seven years Webster McDonald had been trying to break into the top level of black baseball in the United States. Before the start of the 1925 season, Webster tried out for the Wilmington Potomacs. Not only did he make the team, but he also made the starting rotation. After seven seasons as a professional ball player, Webster McDonald had finally reached and was able to secure a roster spot on a team at the highest level of professional black baseball in America. Chaney White (.351), C.H. Lindsay (.299), Elias Country Brown (.295), Eggie Dallard (.278), Lewis Hampton (.273) and Pete Washington (.264) were the top hitters for Wilmington during their Eastern Colored League season. The pitching staff in 1925 for the Potomacs included Webster McDonald (6-4), Lewis Hampton (6-4), Red Grier (5-5), George Britt (3-3), Wayne Carr (2-3) and Arthur Chambers (2-6). The Wilmington Potomacs appear to have had a good record against non-league teams but struggled against Eastern Colored League teams. By the end of July team owners abandoned their plans and the team disbanded. They were (.371) and in next to last place in the Eastern Colored League when they disbanded. Webster McDonald didn t have to wait long to find another job. On July 28 th of 1925 he was the starting pitcher for the Chicago American Giants in their game McDonald Makes the Potomacs Squad against the Detroit Stars. In his first outing for Chicago Afro American he pitched a complete game and earned his first win as an American Giant. 7

10 Signing with Chicago enabled Webster to go from playing for one of the worst teams in the East to playing for one of the top teams in the West. Playing for the American Giants, Mac made more money and got more publicity than he did in the East. The Chicago American Giants had a solid hitting line-up that was led by the hitting of Dave Malarcher (.327), Earl Gurley (.321), Floyd Jelly Gardner (.282) and Cristobal Torriente (.264). Webster McDonald had a great season at the plate batting.364 for the season. In Chicago McDonald joined a pitching staff that also included Luis Padron (11-5), George Harney (7-5), Bill Foster (6-0), Bill McCall (6-6), Sam Crawford (5-9), Eddie Miller (4-8), Aubrey Owens (3-6), Willie Powell (2-2) and George Mitchell (1-7). While splitting his time between Wilmington and Chicago, Webster made 11 starts of which 9 were complete games in league play. Webster compiled a won-loss record of 9-6 (.600) during the season. He ended the season on a positive note with four straight wins. According to Webster McDonald he went 17-2 during the 1925 season in games against all levels of competition. The Chicago American Giants finished the regular 1925 Negro National League season with a record of (.574). They ended the season in fourth place in the final Negro National League standings behind the Detroit Stars (57-41), St. Louis Stars (71-27) and league champion Kansas City Monarchs (62-23). After the end of the regular 1925 season the Chicago American Giants met the Detroit Stars in post season play. Webster defeated his old team on September 20 th and then again on September 26 th. Webster McDonald dominated his former team mates in the series. He pitched two complete games, got two wins, only gave up three runs, walked three batters and had twelve strikeouts. Webster returned to the Chicago American Giants for their 1926 Negro National League season. Floyd Jelly Gardner (.313), John Hines (.311), Sandy Thompson (.305), Pythias Russ (.288), Jim Brown (.286) and George Sweatt (.277) were the leading hitters for the American Giants in By the start of the 1926 Negro National League season, Webster McDonald (9-5) had worked his way into the starting rotation for Chicago. Bill Foster (16-6), George Harney (15-7) and Rube Currie (14-5) rounded out the starting rotation. The starting rotation of Foster, Harney, Currie and McDonald) were considered the best in the Negro National League in They were the key to the success of the American Giants during the season. Roy Poindexter (7-2), Willie Powell (5-3) and Bill Tyler (2-3) also pitched for the Chicago American Giants during the season. Researchers differ greatly on Webster McDonald s pitching statistics during the 1926 season while playing for the Chicago American Giants. Larry Lester and Dick Clark have located box scores for sixteen starts in league games of which ten outings went for complete games. Mac posted a won-loss record of 9-5 (.643) in these sixteen starts. According to Lester and Clark, he also had more than twice as many strikeouts as walks during the season. In games against league opponents, Webster had 78 strikeouts and only 32 base-on-balls. Webster McDonald s 1926 complete pitching statistics for League games according to the research of Lester and Clark are as follows: Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1926 Chicago According to research by James Riley, McDonald had a record of 14-9 when both league and non-league games are added together for his 1926 season. Sports Reference LLC who also conduct Negro League research credits Webster McDonald with a won-loss record of 11-4 with a 2.92 RA (number of runs allowed per nine innings). His RA according to the Sports Reference 8

11 group was fourth in the Negro National League. Only fellow teams mates Bill Foster, George Harney and Rube Currie posted lower RAs than McDonald, Chicago American Giants Pitching Staff (1926) (Webster McDonald, George Harney, Willie Foster, Rube Currie, Eddie Miller and Willie Powell) The Chicago American Giants ended the regular 1926 season in second place in the final Negro National League standings with a record of (.713). The final standings for the 1926 Negro National League season are as follows: Negro National League (1926) Games Record Pct. Kansas City Monarchs Chicago American Giants St. Louis Stars Detroit Stars Indianapolis ABCs Cuban Stars (West) Dayton Marcos Cleveland Elite Giants They met the Kansas City Monarchs who were in first place with a record (.731) in a playoff series for the league championship. Chicago beat Kansas City five games to four to claim the Negro National League title. Webster pitched in one game in the play-offs and took a loss in the eight innings he pitched. 9

12 Chicago then met the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants champions of the Eastern Colored League in the 1926 Negro League World Series. Chicago defeated Atlantic City five games to four games to win the Negro League World Series title. McDonald pitched in two games against Atlantic City. In the first game he pitched 3 2/3 innings and did not give up a run. He also started one game and got hammered. In seven innings he gave up 13 hits and 10 runs while taking the loss. A summary of the 1926 Negro League World Series is as follows: Winning Loosing Game Location Date Winning Team Score Pitcher Pitcher 1 Atlantic City Oct 1 st Tie Game Atlantic City Oct 2 nd Chicago 7-6 George Harney Red Grier 3 Baltimore Oct 3 rd Atlantic City 10-0 Red Grier Webster McDonald 4 Philadelphia Oct 4 th Tie Game Philadelphia Oct 5 th Atlantic City 7-5 Hooks Mitchell Rube Currie 6 Atlantic City Oct 6 th Atlantic City 6-4 Red Grier Willie Powell 7 Chicago Oct 9 th Chicago 5-4 Bill Foster Hubert Lockhart 8 Chicago Oct 10 th Atlantic City 3-0 Rats Henderson George Harney 9 Chicago Oct 11 th Chicago 6-3 Rube Currie Red Grier 10 Chicago Oct 13 th Chicago 13-0 Willie Powell Rats Henderson 11 Chicago Oct 14 th Chicago 1-0 Bill Foster Hubert Lockhart Chicago American Giants ( ) (Standing left to right Dave Malarcher, Stanford Jackson, Willie Powell, Larry Brown, John Hines, Eddie Miller, James Bray, Nat Rogers, Charles Williams, James Gurley, Jim Brown, Webster McDonald, Willie Foster, Walter Davis, Rube Currie, Sam Crawford and George Sweatt.) As a member of the Chicago American Giants starting rotation, Webster McDonald was back with Chicago for the 1927 season. Box scores have been found for 10 starts in Negro National League games. He had 8 complete games in these 10 outings. Webster went 6-4 (.640) and had 56 strikeouts as compared to only 11 base on balls in 99.3 innings pitched. During the season he also posted an impressive 2.45 ERA against league opponents. Webster McDonald posted a wonloss of 10-5 when both league and non-league games were added together. 10

13 It was during the 1927 season that Mac pitched one of his best games in Negro League action. The game occurred when McDonald and the Chicago American Giants beat the Kansas City Monarchs 3-1. Webster pitched a complete game, gave up only 2 hits and struck out 16 Monarch batters. Then on August 15 th Mac had a no-hitter going for nine innings against the Memphis Red Sox when the Red Sox scored on errors made by Chicago fielders. Webster carried his no-hitter through the 10 th inning and lost it in the 11 th when he gave up three base hits. He had 11 strikeouts in the game and did not walk a batter. Foster (17-5), George Harney (9-10) and Willie Powell (8-3) were Chicago s other three starting pitchers in During the 1927 season the American Giants got exceptional hitting from Walter Steel Arm Davis (.417), Pythias Russ (.365), Nat Rogers (.313), Jim Brown (.288) and James Bray (.283). The Chicago American Giants finished the regular 1927 Negro National League season in first place with a record of (.677). In games against all levels of competition they posted an overall record of (.675). The final Negro National League standings for the regular 1927 season were as follows: Negro National League (1927) 1927 Games Record Pct. Chicago American Giants Kansas City Monarchs St. Louis Stars Birmingham Black Barons Detroit Stars Cleveland Hornets Cuban Stars (West) Memphis Red Sox Chicago won the first half of the season and faced the Birmingham Black Barons (55-43) who won the second half in a play-off series. Chicago defeated Birmingham in four straight games to win the league title and the right to represent the Negro National League in the Negro League World Series. Webster McDonald did not pitch in the play-off series against the Black Barons. The Chicago American Giants then played the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (Eastern Colored League champions) in the 1927 Negro League World Series. The American Giants defeated the Bacharach Giants five games to three to win their second straight Negro League World Series. Webster pitched in two games for Chicago. On October 4 th he beat the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants in game 4 by going the distance and only allowing one unearned run. In the series he pitched a total of 13 innings in 2 games and recorded 8 strike outs. A summary of the 1927 Negro League World Series is as follows: Winning Losing Game Location Date Winning Team Score Pitcher Pitcher 1 Chicago Oct 2 nd Chicago 6-2 Bill Foster Red Farrell 2 Chicago Oct 3 rd Chicago 11-1 Willie Powell Jesse Hubbard 3 Chicago Oct 4 th Chicago 7-0 George Harney Jesse Hubbard 4 Chicago Oct 5 th Chicago 9-1 Webster Mc Donald Red Farrell 5 Atlantic City Oct 8 th Atlantic City 3-2 Red Farrell Bill Foster 6 Atlantic City Oct 10 th Tie Game Atlantic City Oct 11 th Atlantic City 8-1 Red Farrell George Harney 8 Atlantic City Oct 12 th Atlantic City 6-5 Jesse Hubbard Bill Foster 9 Atlantic City Oct 13 th Chicago 11-4 Bill Foster Hubert Lockhart 11

14 McDonald Travels to Minnesota Webster McDonald started the 1928 season with the Chicago American Giants before jumping to Little Falls (Minnesota) of the Northwest League. In his one start for Chicago for which a box score has been found, he went 8 innings giving up only 3 hits and 1 run for the victory. He undoubtedly pitched in more games for Chicago at the start of the 1928 season but box scores still need to be uncovered. Originally Little Falls wanted to sign John Donaldson in 1928, but when he turned them down he recommended Webster McDonald. According to Webster when the committee from Little Falls met with him in Chicago, they thought he was related to John Donaldson because their last names were very similar. John Van and Webster McDonald Little Falls Independents (1928) McDonald s rationale for going to Minnesota was very simple. It was money. He made $ 350 per month plus expenses and travel (by the end of his tenure with Little Falls he would be making $ 750/month). In 1928 $350 a month plus expenses was a tremendous amount of money. When they signed Webster, Little Falls owners made him the highest paid player in the Northwest League. The Little Falls Independents were an all-white team and were managed by E.V. Wetzel. Webster McDonald at the Little Falls, Minnesota Train Station 12

15 Little Falls Independents (1928) Northwest League (Back row left to right Earl Wetzel. Wagner, Conrad Sudstrom, Nolan, Joseph Warwa, Frank Cleve, Hollander and Ed Porten. Seated left to right John Van, Webster McDonald, Alvin Seifert, Whitey Weidel and Evans.) The Little Falls season began on May 13 th and ended on September 9 th. In 1928 McDonald and his catcher John Van, formerly with the Colored Gophers, were the only two African Americans on the team. One of the highlights of the 1928 season for McDonald and Little Falls was beating the Bertha Fishermen with Lefty Wilson (aka Dave Brown). McDonald played with the Little Falls Independents from During his four seasons with Little Falls, he posted won-loss records of 25-3, 27-2, 26-1 and Needless to say he dominated the competition for his entire career in Minnesota. Webster also led Little Falls to a Northwest League title each of the four seasons he was with the team. In addition to playing for Little Falls during the regular season, Webster also pitched for several different teams before the start of the regular season in Minnesota and after the Independents had concluded play in the late summer. On September 29 th of 1928 McDonald pitched for the Homestead Grays in an exhibition game in Pittsburgh (PA) against the Major League All Stars. The Major League All Stars were led by the hitting of Jimmy Foxx, Harry Heilmann and Bing Miller. Webster dazzled the Big Leaguers. He pitched the entire game and only gave up one run to his Major League opponent. In the game he limited his opposition to just four hits, walked one batter and struck out seven Big Leaguers. Mac won the game over Jack Quinn by a score of 5 to 1. McDonald started the 1929 American Negro League (ANL) with the Homestead Grays. Two box scores have been found for him pitching for Homestead in He pitched 2.7 innings in relief to pick a win on May 4 th. Then on May 5 th he went nine innings and gave up only one run to pick up the win. From May through the first part of August he pitched for Little Falls, Minnesota. Webster s catcher in 1928, John Van, was replaced by ex-kansas City Monarch back stop Sylvester Hooks Foreman for the 1929 season. While playing in Minnesota Webster McDonald also would travel into Canada to pitch in local baseball tournaments like those held in Moose Jaw 13

16 Little Falls Independents (1929) Northwest League (Webster McDonald - seated first on right and Sylvester Hooks Foreman - standing second from left) and Winnipeg. McDonald told Negro League researcher, John Holway, that he made as much as $ 200 to $ 250 per game playing freelance in Canada. In late August of 1929 Webster returned to the Negro National League to play for the Chicago American Giants. For the 1929 Negro National League season McDonald started eight league games and posted a 2.42 ERA with a won-loss record of 6-2 (.745). On October 5 th and 8 th, Mac (Chicago American Giants) met Sam Streeter and the Homestead Grays and shut them out twice. He only gave up two hits in the first game and four hits in the second game. Webster also played for Chicago in October during their exhibition series against the Big League All Stars. Chicago won the McDonald Beats McCoy-Nolan Colored Giants series taking three of the four games played. Albert Lea Evening Tribune Webster did not figure in a decision against the Big Leaguers. Webster started the 1930 season with Hilldale who were scheduled to play an independent schedule during the season. Before the start of the 1930 season, Lloyd Thompson replaced Ed Bolden as President of the Hilldale Club. When Thompson took over the team, he was faced with the problem of rebuilding the roster because the team had lost several of their key players before the start of the season. Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson and Jake Stephens all went to Cumberland Posey s Homestead Grays. From late April to mid-may when Webster was scheduled to leave for Little Falls, he pitched in four games against top level teams for Hilldale. Mac went 1-2 with one no decision in these four starts. He also had a disappointing 5.10 ERA in his brief tenure with Hilldale in

17 When the 1930 Northwest League started, Webster was back with Little Falls as the ace of their pitching staff and Sylvester Hooks Foreman returned as his catcher. Also appearing for Little Falls during the 1930 season was Lefty Wilson (aka Dave Brown). The Little Falls 1930 season started on May 25 th and ended on September 1 st. The 1930 season was memorable for McDonald and Little Falls. On August 29 th the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association traveled to Little Falls to play an exhibition game against the Independents. The Minneapolis Millers had finished the season in third place in the American Association and their roster included 13 past and future Major League players. With the entire town shut down an overflowing crowd of 3,800 fans crowded into their stadium to cheer their team on against an extremely powerful opponent. McDonald pitched brilliantly. He scattered nine hits and struck out six in route to a 4-3 victory. In addition during the season Webster McDonald beat John Donaldson and the formidable St. Cloud Saints twice during the season. After returning from Little Falls, McDonald returned home and signed with the Baltimore Black Sox for their post season schedule. McDonald started paying dividends immediately for the Black Sox. In early September, he took the mound against the always powerful Hilldale team. McDonald limited his opponents to just four hits while pitching a shutout. The highlight of the Black Sox s post season was an exhibition series against the Major-Minor League All Stars. Webster pitched lights out against his Big League opponents. Mac won four games in the series by the scores of 8-5, 10-0, 1-0 and 5-3. His 10-0 shutout win came against Jim Weaver and he also bested Ed Rommel in a 1-0 victory. Then on October 12 th while playing for the Baltimore Black Sox, he pitched a complete game shutout against the Major League All Stars. Webster struck out nine Big Leaguers and did not walk a batter during the game. This gave him five wins with no losses against his Major League opponents for the 1930 post season. His post season completion included Mickey Cochrane, Charlie Gehringer, Harry Heilmann, Lefty O Doul, Ed Rommel and Red Kress Baltimore Black Sox vs Hilldale McDonald Pitches a Shutout Afro American

18 Webster McDonald Dominates the Major Leaguers Afro American Afro American Afro American

19 Before the start of the 1931 season the ownership of the Hilldale Club was taken over by John Drew. In addition to owning the team, Drew also purchased Hilldale Park and made $ 14,000 of improvements to the ball park. To bring top players back to Hilldale, Drew reinstituted salaries and was able to lure back the following players: Phil Cockrell, Martin Dihigo, Herbert "Rap Dixon, Judy Johnson, Raleigh Biz Mackey, Jake Stephens and Jesse Nip Winters. Hilldale vs Baltimore DePriest Cup Afro American Webster McDonald started the 1931 season with Hilldale and went 3-0 with two complete games and a 2.25 ERA. The highlight of the first part of season for Hilldale was playing the Baltimore Black Sox for the coveted DePriest Cup He rejoined Hilldale after returning from the summer playing baseball in Minnesota for the Little Falls Independents. McDonald picked up two wins both of which were complete games. In the six games he played for Hilldale during the 1931 season, he went 6-0 with a 1.29 ERA. Hilldale had a phenomenally successful season on the field of play in 1931with a record of (.795). Hilldale s success on the field did not translate to financial success. Attendance at Hilldale Park did go up from 652 to 1108 during the season for Saturday games but this was not enough to cover the significant increase they had in player salaries. In an attempt to bring in more fans, Drew reinstituted Thursday games at Hilldale Park for the first time in three years. Unfortunately these games drew less than 200 fans per outing. In a final ditch effort to financially save the season, Hilldale scheduled three games a day from September 13 th to September 19 th. After the regular season Webster joined the Baltimore Black Sox for their post season play. In late September and early October of 1931, the Baltimore Black Sox played a four game series against the Big League & International League All Stars. The Baltimore Black Sox bolstered their roster by adding John Beckwith, Martin Dihigo, Herbert Rap Dixon and Webster McDonald. The Big League & International league All Stars were led by the infield of the Baltimore Orioles (International League), George Earnshaw, Jimmy Foxx, Joe Judge and Lefty Grove. The Black Sox took all four games Baltimore Black Sox of the series. Webster McDonald beat George vs Big Moose Earnshaw of the Philadelphia Big League & International Stars Athletics by a score of 3-2. Afro American Over the winter of 1931, Webster McDonald made the decision not to return to Little Falls. As financially rewarding as the experience had been, he had other priorities. His wife who most often traveled with him had become very sick and he wanted to play back East where he would be close to her. 17

20 Webster McDonald Continues to Dominate the Big Leaguers Afro American Afro American

21 During the 1931 baseball season there was not a formal league in the East. In response to this void, a group of baseball team owners behind the leadership of Cumberland Posey (owner of the Homestead Grays) formed the East-West League. The teams that competed in the league and the final East-West League standings were as follows: East-West League (1932) Games Record Pct. Baltimore Black Sox Detroit Wolves Homestead Grays Cuban Stars Washington Pilots Hilldale (Darby) Cleveland Stars Newark Browns New York Black Yankees (Associate Member) Pittsburg Crawfords (Associate Member) The Washington Pilots were one of the teams that played in the East-West League in 1932 and with Webster McDonald returning to the East to play the regular baseball season, team owners saw a tremendous opportunity to sign a quality pitcher to build their pitching staff around. Unfortunately, Webster only had a mediocre season in league games during the season. He went 4-7 (.364) with an unimpressive 3.77 ERA. During the 1932 season the Pilots were an excellent hitting team. According to research by James Holway the Pilots were led by the hitting of Jake Dunn (.375), Sammy Hughes (.333), George Mule Suttles (.322), A.D. Dewey Creacy (.319), Eppie Hampton (.311) and Happy Evans (.297). Webster McDonald had a very good season at the plate with a.297 batting average. Besides Webster McDonald (4-7), the Pilots had the following pitchers on their roster: Leroy Matlock (5-1), Bun Hayes (5-4), Harry Richardson (3-8), Chet Brewer (2-6), Ted Trent (1-3) and Jesse Nip Winters (1-2). Webster McDonald also appeared in two games for the John Donaldson All Stars in mid-july of He started one game and pitched in relief in the other game. In his lone start for the John Donaldson All Stars, he pitched a nine inning complete game. Webster only gave up four hits and one run while picking up the win. When the season started for Washington, Frank Warfield was the team s manager. Tragically Warfield died during the summer of When Frank Warfield passed away, Webster McDonald stepped in and took over as manager of the Washington Pilots. East-West League (1932) In the post season of 1932 Webster joined the Baltimore Black Sox in an exhibition series against a team of Major League all-stars. The two teams played nine games with Baltimore winning six games and the Major League All-Stars winning three. 19

22 Before the start of the 1933 season, Ed Bolden who had owned the Hilldale Club and who also worked for the United States Post Office joined forces with Ed Gottlieb who was a white booking agent to form the Philadelphia Stars. With Gottlieb being one of the top promoters in the East he was always able to book the Stars with a game somewhere and therefore they were financially successful. Bolden s first order of business was to approach Dick Lundy about managing the team and Webster McDonald to serve as the team s business manager and when needed pitch for the Stars. Bolden s plan for the team was to have them play in the Negro National League in In order to get the Stars ready for Negro National League competition he decided to have the team play their first season as an independent. This way they could be better prepared for league play in Philadelphia Stars (1933) (Left to right Paul Jake Stephens, Herb Smith, Mickey Casey, Jud Wilson, Peter Washington, Clifford Allen, Porter Charleston, Raleigh Biz Mackey, Ed Bolden, Paul Carter, Herbert Rap Dixon, Dick Lundy, Chaney White, Eggie Dallard, Clifford Carter, Webster McDonald and Tom Finley.) With all of Ed Bolden s connections, he was able to assemble an outstanding roster especially for a first year team. This was done by raiding other teams and bringing several former Hilldale players back to Philadelphia. Leading the offensive attack for the Philadelphia Stars were Herbert Rap Dixon, Dick Lundy, Raleigh Biz Mackey, Jake Stephens, Chaney White and Jud Wilson. The pitching staff for the Stars included Clifford Carter, Porter Charleston, Scrip Lee, Webster McDonald, Herb Smith and Jim Cannonball Willis. The fact that Bolden was able to assemble a roster of this stature was even more remarkable when you take into consideration that the players were not salaried but received their pay from a share of the gate receipts. Pitching on a very limited basis, McDonald went 5-3 (.625) for Philadelphia during the 1933 season. In his eight starts for the Stars he had five complete games. He showed remarkable control the entire season. Webster had 24 strikeouts and only 2 walks in 65.3 innings that he pitched for Philadelphia. Unfortunately he gave up 76 hits and 28 earned runs for a 3.86 ERA. 20

23 Philadelphia Stars Enter the Negro National League When the 1934 Negro National League season got underway, the Philadelphia Stars were a full-fledged member. Not only did the Philadelphia Stars field a competitive line-up but they showed from the very beginning of the season that they could compete for the Negro National League title. Dick Lundy who had managed the Philadelphia Stars during the 1933 season left the team before the start of the 1934 season. Ed Bolden s choice for who would succeed Lundy was very simple. Webster McDonald was his first and only choice. In 1934 the Stars were led by the hitting of Jud Wilson (.347), Chaney White (.307), Raleigh Biz Mackey (.303) and Johnny Hayes (.282). Philadelphia had a solid hitting team, but their real key to success in 1934 would be their pitching staff. Stuart Slim Jones was the ace of the pitching staff with a league leading record of 20-5 and 170 strikeouts. It was reported in the media that Slim Jones threw harder than Lefty Grove. Slim Jones Philadelphia Stars Webster McDonald (8-3), Rocky Ellis (7-2), Paul Carter (5-2), Frank Lefty Holmes (4-4), Roy Williams (1-0) and Phil Cockrell (1-3) rounded out the pitching staff for the Stars. Webster McDonald had an excellent season on the mound in His pitching statistics against league competition only were as follows: Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1934 Philadelphia His best game of the season was when he beat Satchel Paige and the Pittsburgh Crawfords by a score of 2-1. According to research by John Holway when both league and non-league games are added together, Webster McDonald posted an impressive won-loss record of 12-4 (.750) for the 1934 season. With excellent hitting and outstanding pitching, the Philadelphia Stars scored 85 more runs that they gave up during the 1934 Negro National League season. In their first year in the Negro National League, the Philadelphia Stars posted an impressive won-loss record of (.658). They had the highest winning percentage of any team in the league for the entire season. According to Negro League researcher John Holway when both league and non-league games are added together, the Philadelphia Stars posted a record of (.612) against all levels of competition. McDonald Beats Nashville Afro American

24 The final Negro National League standings for the 1934 season were as follows: Negro National League (1934) Games Record Pct. Philadelphia Stars Chicago American Giants Pittsburgh Crawfords Nashville Elite Giants Newark Dodgers Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Baltimore Black Sox Cleveland Red Sox The Birmingham Black Barons (2-6), Homestead Grays (32-34) and New York Black Yankees (2-10) were all Associate Members of the league. According to research by Gary Ashwill of Seamheads, the Philadelphia Stars had a won-loss record of (.654) in Negro National League games and in games against teams of top level competition. In games against all levels of completion in 1934, Ashwill credits Philadelphia with a record of (.654). After the conclusion of the regular season and before the start of the Negro National League Play- Off Series, the Philadelphia Stars joined the Chicago American Giants, New York Black Yankees and Pittsburgh Crawfords to play a benefit game at Yankee Stadium. The game was sponsored by the Charles Young American Legion Post. Approximately 20,000 fans showed up for the special event. It also was estimated that 5,000 fans were turned away. The Chicago American Giants defeated the New York Black Yankees in the first game by a score of 4 to 3. In the second game the Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Crawfords played to a 1-1 tie. The Stars-Crawfords game was called due to darkness. This was the largest Negro League double header of the entire season. Negro National League Play-Off Championship Series (1934) The Philadelphia Stars (winners of the first half of the season) played the Chicago American Giants (winners of the second half of the season) in the Negro National League Championship Play-Off Series. The Negro National League Play-Off for the 1934 season started on September 12 th with the first game being played in Philadelphia. Bill Foster (Chicago) beat Rocky Ellis (Philadelphia) 4-3 on Mule Suttles run scoring single in the top of the ninth inning. Games two and three were played four days later (September 16 th ) as a double header in Chicago. Ted Trent (Chicago) shut out the Stars by a score of 3-0 in the first game and Webster McDonald (Philadelphia) beat Bill Foster in the second game by a score of 5-3. Game four was a pitching duel between Willie Powell (Chicago) and Rocky Ellis (Philadelphia) that ended in a 2-1 victory for Chicago. Powell limited the Stars to five hits and Ellis gave up only four hits while taking the loss. Ten days later (September 27 th ) in game five, Rocky Ellis came back and beat the American Giants 1-0 in Philadelphia to get the Stars to within one game of Chicago. Game six was played on September 29 th and resulted in a 4-1 win for Philadelphia. Cliff Carter got the win for the Stars and Ted Trent took the loss for the American Giants. The series was now tied at three games apiece. Game seven wasn t played until October 11 th and ended up proving nothing as it ended in a 4-4 tie. Webster McDonald sent his ace (Slim Jones) to the mound for the deciding game of the series which was played on October 12 th in Philadelphia. Jones was up to the challenge and pitched a five hit 2-0 shutout of the American Giants. The victory gave the Philadelphia Stars their first ever Negro National League title. 22

25 A summary of the 1934 Negro National League Championship Play-Off Series is as follows: Winning Loosing Game Location Date Winning Team Score Pitcher Pitcher 1 Philadelphia Sept 12 th Chicago 4-3 Bill Foster Rocky Ellis 2 Chicago Sept 16 th Chicago 3-0 Ted Trent Slim Jones 3 Chicago Sept 16 th Philadelphia 5-3 Webster Mc Donald Bill Foster 4 Chicago Sept 17 th Chicago 2-1 Willie Powell Rocky Ellis 5 Philadelphia Sept 27 th Philadelphia 1-0 Rocky Ellis Bill Foster 6 Philadelphia Sept 29 th Philadelphia 4-1 Cliff Carter Ted Trent 7 Philadelphia Oct 11 th Tie Philadelphia Oct 12 th Philadelphia 2-0 Slim Jones Sug Cornelius After the conclusion of the regular 1934 season the Philadelphia Stars played a doubleheader against a team of all-stars from the Philadelphia League. Dizzy and Paul Dean played for the Philadelphia League All-Stars. Both games were played at Shibe Park. Philadelphia won both games by the scores of 8-0 and 4-3. Webster McDonald pitched a complete game shutout in the 8-0 win. Slim Jones pitched the second game which was called after seven innings. Before the start of the 1935 Negro National League season Webster pitched in two games for the Chicago American Giants in late April before joining the Philadelphia for the start of the regular season. Mac also pitched in a game for Chicago on June 9 th and another on August 25 th. When the 1935 Negro National League season started, Webster McDonald was back with Philadelphia as their player/manager to help them defend their league title. Webster McDonald is Still Philadelphia Stars Best Pitcher Chicago Defender

26 Webster McDonald Manages in the East-West All Star Game (1935) Chicago Defender Chicago Defender

27 With the exception of Jud Wilson (.344), Ted Page (.303) and Jake Dunn (.293) the rest of the Stars did not produce at the plate. Usually reliable Biz Mackey (.244), Chaney White (.259) and Dewey Creacy (.267) all hit below their career averages. To make matters even worse for McDonald and the Stars, Slim Jones who had been the best pitcher in black baseball in 1934 with a record of 20-5 (.800), fell to a record of 4-4 (.500) in league games and 5-10 (.333) against all levels of competition for the 1935 season. Ironically, Jones never regained the dominance he had shown during the 1934 season. Philadelphia was led during the 1935 season by the pitching of Rocky Ellis (7-4), Webster McDonald (7-5) and Paul Carter (6-5). Other pitchers on Stars staff during the 1935 season were Frank Holmes (3-9), Laymon Yokely (2-1), Granville Lyons (1-0), Porter Charleston (1-1) and Joe Reynolds (0-1). Even though Webster was tied for the team lead in games won for the 1935 season, he also had a very disappointing 4.34 ERA. According to research by John Holway, McDonald had a won-loss record of 10-7 (.588) against all levels of competition. With only mediocre hitting and pitching, the Philadelphia Stars posted a disappointing record for the 1935 season and did not contend for the league title. Negro League researchers disagree with Philadelphia s won-loss record. Researchers Larry Lester, Dick Clark and the Center for Negro League Baseball Research all agree that the Stars posted a Negro National League record of (.509) for third place in the final league standings. Research by John Holway credits Philadelphia with a losing record of (.494) which put them in fifth place in the Negro National League. In August when the annual East-West All Star game was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Webster McDonald was chosen as the manager of the East squad. Over 25,000 fans were in attendance to witness a true slugfest that was won by the West. The game which went into extra innings was won by the West in the 11 th inning on a three run homerun by George Mule Suttles. The final score in the game was 11-8 in favor of Oscar Charleston s West team. Colored All Stars vs Major League All Stars McDonald Defeats Major Leaguers Afro American In October of 1935 Webster McDonald pitched for the Colored All Stars in an exhibition series versus the Dizzy Dean All Stars. The games were booked by Ray Doan and Gus Greenlee provided the talent. The Colored All Stars team included James Cool Pappa Bell (OF), Josh Gibson (C), Buck Leonard (1B), Ted Page (OF), Satchel Paige (P) and Jud Wilson. Besides Dizzy and Paul Dean, the Major League all-stars team featured Larry French, Jose Hauser, Mike Ryba and Hack Wilson. Mac pitched two games in the series and defeated Dizzy Dean by the scores of 7-1 and The first game took place on October 12 th in Philadelphia and Webster defeated Dizzy Dean and the Major Leaguers 7-1. Mac s second win came at Eagle Park in York (PA) with an 11-1 win over the Dizzy Dean All Stars. 25

28 According to Webster McDonald, it was after one of these games that Connie Mack, owner of the Philadelphia Athletics, said the following to him: I m sorry to say this but I d give half my ball club for a man like you. Over the course of the Colored All Stars exhibition series against the Dizzy Dean All Stars, the two teams played to some large crowds and some minuscule numbers. In Pittsburg 30,000 fans showed up to watch the two teams square off and 15,000 to 20,000 fans were in attendance at Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, extremely small crowds showed up for games held in Springfield (4,300), Kansas City (900), Chattanooga (375) and New Orleans (200). According to Ted Page the Negro Leaguers won seven of the nine games they played. Webster McDonald returned to the Philadelphia Stars for the start of the 1936 Negro National League season. During the 1936 season Roy Red Parnell (.357), Norman Turkey Stearnes (.294), Jud Wilson (.274), Bill Yancey (.274) and A.D. Dewey Creacy (.272) were the leading hitters for Philadelphia. Also in the starting line-up for the Stars during the season were Jake Dunn (.224), Ted Page (.221), Mickey Casey (.204) and Larry Brown (.203). The Philadelphia Stars did not really have an ace on their pitching staff in Slim Jones, the ace of the staff for the previous two years, went 1-2 for the 1936 season. According to research by John Holway, the Philadelphia Stars pitching staff included Webster McDonald (8-10), Bertrum Hunter (7-3), Laymon Yokely (6-5), Sam Thompson (5-4), Rocky Ellis (4-2), Slim Jones (1-2), Charles Beverly (1-3), Frank Holmes (0-1) and (no first name identified) Smith (0-1). These wonloss records include both league and non-league games. McDonald struggled on the mound the entire season. He posted a losing record of 5-6 (.455) with a horrible 6.05 ERA in league games. His best game of the season occurred on September 2 nd when he faced the New York Black Yankees. Webster went 18 innings in a game that ended in a 3-3 tie. The Philadelphia Stars struggled the entire season. They ended the 1936 season with a (.455) record in Negro National League games. They ended the season in fifth place significantly behind the league champion Pittsburgh Crawfords (36-24). Webster McDonald led the Philadelphia Stars to a Negro National League championship in Then the team had back to back disappointing seasons in 1935 and Before the start of the 1937 season, Mac stepped down as manager of the Philadelphia Stars and Jud Wilson took over as player/manager for Philadelphia. The 1937 team did not have a.300 hitter for the season. The starting line-up for Philadelphia in 1937 included Jud Wilson (.297), Dick Dixon (.289), Curtis Harris (.289), Gene Benson (.257), Biz Mackey (.254), A. Harvey (.240), Mickey Casey (.226), Ted Page (.223), Dewey Creacy (.219), Jake Dunn (.211) and Larry Brown (.164). New Amsterdam News The starting rotation for the Stars included Sam Thompson (11-5), Webster McDonald (4-2), Rocky Ellis (4-6) and Jim Missouri (3-4). McDonald improved on his pitching statistics from the previous season. His wonloss record was 4-2 (.667) in league games and he also lowered his earned run average to a 4.85 ERA. 26

29 The Philadelphia Stars ended the 1937 season with a losing record of (.481) and in fourth place in the final Negro National League standings. According to an interview that Webster McDonald had with Negro League researcher John Holway, he helped manage the Philadelphia Stars on the weekends during the 1938, 1939 and 1940 seasons. The 1938 season saw Ed Bolden bring in several new players in an attempt to help turn around the fortunes of his team. These players included Clyde Spearman (.301), Charles Williams (.296), Henry Jake Spearman (.286), Andrew Pat Patterson (.284), George Giles (.261) and Bill Perkins (.256). Holdovers that got significant playing time included Curtis Popeye Harris (.277), Jake Dunn (.270), Gene Benson (.243), Toy Red Parnell (.238), Jud Wilson (.234) and Dewey Creacy (.185). The pitching staff for the Stars in 1938 was made up of Ernest Carter (6-3), Webster McDonald (6-7), Henry McHenry (5-2), Jim Missouri (5-1), Jack Bruton (4-3), Hank Miller (2-2), Rocky Ellis (1-2) and Slim Jones (0-2). Carter, McHenry, Bruton and Miller were all new pitchers that Bolden signed to bolster his team s chance for improving. Of the 15 games Mac started during the league season, he pitched 6 complete games and posted a 4.57 ERA. According to some researchers, Webster McDonald also appeared briefly for the Washington Black Senators during the 1938 season. Washington was managed by Ben Taylor and played in the Negro National League. They had an official record of 2-13 (.133) for their only season in the league. Bolden s roster moves resulted in a winning season for Philadelphia. The Stars posted a record of (.556) for the Negro National League season. The Homestead Grays won both halves of the season (27-10) and were crowned league champions. McDonald Beats the Crawfords Ed Bolden went into the 1939 season with great optimism and felt his team could challenge for the Negro National League title. Afro American Offensively the team responded with an excellent season at the plate. Pat Patterson (.331), Chester Williams (.323), Roy Red Parnell (.306), Gene Benson (.299), Jud Wilson (.298) and Jim West (.284) led the Philadelphia Stars in hitting during the 1939 season. In addition, part time player Leroy Morney hit.379. Henry McHenry was the top pitcher on Bolden s staff with a record of According to Negro League researcher John Holway, other pitchers on the Stars staff included Sam Thompson (5-5), Webster McDonald (5-7), Roy Welmaker (4-1), Tommy Johnson (3-4), Jim Missouri (2-8), Jim Walker (1-0), Henry Miller (1-1) and Spoon Carter (0-1). Holway s statistics include both league and non-league games. According to research by Larry Lester and Dick Clark, Webster McDonald mainly pitched in relief with a few spot starts in games against Negro National League competition. Their research credits Mac with a 2-3 (.400) record with 5.62 ERA. 27

30 Webster McDonald Pitches One of the Best Games of His Career Afro American

31 During the 1939 season, the Philadelphia Stars played most of their home games at 44 th and Parkside Ball Park located at 44 th Street and Parkside Ave. in West Philadelphia. Over the years the ball park was also referred to as Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA Athletic Field, Parkside Field and Penmar Park. Home games not played at Parkside Field were played at Shibe Park (also the home of the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League) in North Philadelphia. 44 th and Parkside Ball Park Home of the Philadelphia Stars At the end of the season the final Negro National League standings for 1939 were as follows: Games Record Pct. Homestead Grays Newark Eagles Baltimore Elite Giants Philadelphia Stars New York Black Yankees New York Cubans The Homestead Grays won both halves of the Negro National League season in After the regular season, a four team play-off was held to determine a Negro National League champion. Colonel Jacob Rupert, owner of the New York Yankees, donated a trophy for the winner of the tournament. The four teams that played in the series were the Homestead Grays, Newark Eagles, Baltimore Elite Giants and the Philadelphia Stars. In the first round the Homestead Grays beat the Philadelphia Stars. A summary of their play-off series is as follows: Winning Losing Game Location Date Winning Team Score Pitcher Pitcher 1 Philadelphia Sept 9 th Philadelphia Cleveland Sept 10 th Homestead Cleveland Sept 10 th Homestead Philadelphia Sept 13 th Philadelphia 5-3 Roy Welmaker Edsall Walker 5 Philadelphia Sept 14 th Homestead 3-0 Ray Brown Cooper 29

32 Philadelphia Stars (1939) Negro National League (Back row left to right - Henry Miller, Ernest Spoon Carter, Bill Perkins, Henry McHenry, Ed Bolden, Chet Brewer, Samuel Sad Sam Thompson, Bill Deck, Unknown, Tom Evans and Rocky Ellis. Front row left to right- Webster McDonald, Clyde Spearman, Jud Wilson, Unknown, Jake Dunn, Unknown, Gene Benson, Roy Red Parnell and Unknown.) In the other first round series, the Baltimore Elite Giants defeated the Newark Eagles. In the championship series, Baltimore defeated Homestead three games to one (one game ended in a tie) to claim the title. After the regular 1939 season had concluded play, Webster joined the Baltimore Elite Giants (also referred to as the Negro National League All Stars or Colored All Stars) for their four game exhibition series against the Major League All Stars. On October 14 th in Baltimore, Maryland, the 39 year old McDonald entered the game in the second inning. The Big Leaguers had already scored three runs off Marion Sugar Cain giving them a 3-0 lead and the bases were loaded with no outs. Mac struck out Don Heffner. Next, he got Doc Cramer and Dee Miles to fly out. Webster then pitched no-hit shutout baseball for the next 7 innings. The Major League All Stars behind the pitching of Pete Appleton won the game by a score of 3-1. Even though Mac didn t get the decision, it was perhaps the best game he ever pitched in his entire career. The 1940 baseball season was Webster McDonald s last as a full time professional player. The Philadelphia Stars had an excellent hitting team during the 1940 Negro National League season. Jim West (.347), Henry McHenry (.325), Gene Benson (.318), Bill Bea (.315), Roy Red Parnell (.310), Larnie Jordan (.302) and Robert Palm (.304) led the team in hitting in Unfortunately for Philadelphia, other than Henry McHenry (15-7), Ed Bolden (owner of the Philadelphia Stars) didn t get much out of the rest of his pitching staff. Chester Buchanan (4-7), Roy Welmaker (3-2), Tommy Johnson (3-4), Sam Thompson (2-6), Jim Missouri (2-3) and Hank Miller (1-3) were the other starting pitchers for Philadelphia. It appears that Jake Dunn was the manager of record for the Philadelphia Stars when the season started, but according to Webster McDonald he also managed the team on a part time basis. Mac also pitched in five games during the season. He made two starts, had a 0-2 record with a horrific 7.64 ERA. 30

33 The Philadelphia Stars finished the 1940 season with a record of (.405). They ended the season in fifth place. Only the New York Black Yankees (10-23) had a worse record in the league. It appears Webster McDonald was out of professional baseball during the 1941 season. Negro Major League is Short Lived The Negro Major League was formed in The Baltimore Black Orioles, Baltimore Grays, Boston Royal Giants, Chicago Brown Bombers, Detroit Black Sox, Philadelphia Daises, Miami- Ethiopian Clowns, Minneapolis-St. Paul Gophers and Nashville Stars all competed in the Negro Major League in their inaugural season. Philadelphia Daisies vs Baltimore Grays Chicago Defender The Philadelphia Daisies were organized by Webster McDonald and managed by baseball and basketball great Clarence Fats Jenkins. The team played their home games at Hilldale Park. Philadelphia recruited a roster that included Bill Bea (OF), Buddy Burbage (OF), Bill Cash (C), Jack Johnson (3B), Henry Miller (P) and James Red Moore (1B). Jenkins even coaxed Webster McDonald out of retirement to pitch for the Daisies. In the one box score that has been found for Mac pitching for Philadelphia, he pitched a complete game. He only gave up one run, struck out 6 batters and walked only 1 batter. Final league standings have yet to be discovered. The Chicago Brown Bombers promoted themselves as the Negro Major League champions. The Brown Bombers had a reported record of 26-6 (.813) for the season. Webster McDonald was not active in Negro League baseball during the 1943 and 1944 season. United States League (USL) is Born Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League, was convinced that signing black ball players was in the immediate future for Major League baseball. Rickey also knew that signing the right players was crucial. In an effort to evaluate Negro League baseball talent, Rickey joined with Gus Greenlee, former owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, to help form the United State League (USL) in May of This opportunity also helped Greenlee get back into Negro League baseball. 31

34 The United States League debuted in 1945 with the following six teams: United States League (1945) Team Owner/Management Manager Home Field Brooklyn Brown Dodgers Joe Hall Felix Mellix Ebbets Field George Armstrong Oscar Charleston Pittsburgh Crawfords Gus Greenlee Fred Burnette Forbes Field Tom Parker Chicago Brown Bombers James Foster Bingo De Moss Wrigley Field James Foster Philadelphia Hilldales Webster McDonald Oscar Charleston Island Park Toledo Rays (Cubs) Hank Rigney Pee Wee Spencer American Jesse Heslip Association Park Detroit Motor City Giants Benjamin E. Linton Motor City Field Perkins (During the season Indianapolis, New Orleans and St. Louis were associate members of the United States League.) In 1945 when the United States League (USL) was being formed, Webster McDonald formed his own team, the Philadelphia Hilldales. The first thing he did as owner of the team was to hire legendary great Oscar Charleston as his manager. Even though they were called the Philadelphia Hilldales they still played their home games at Island Park in Harrisburg (PA). The reason for this was that the Philadelphia Stars controlled the leases to both Parkside Park and Shibe Park. Webster McDonald, Joe Hall and Oscar Charleston Some of the key players that McDonald signed for the Hilldales were Robert Arthur (OF), Ben Hill (P), Larnie Jordan (3B), Armand Tyson (1B), David Whately (OF) and Bill Wilson (C). 32

35 Branch Rickey gave the United States League his total support and worked out a deal whereby United States League games could be played at Ebbets field when the Brooklyn Dodgers were out of town. It was also rumored that Rickey had provided financial support for the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers franchise. Rickey also had hoped that the United States League (USL) would be recognized by the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs. This acceptance would make USL players eligible to be drafted by Major League baseball teams. This acceptance never came. The first indication that the new league had a significant uphill battle was when only about 2,000 fans showed up for the first USL game in New York City. The contest pitted the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers against the Philadelphia Hilldales and was played on May 24, Hudson Baker and Stanley Glenn each hit homeruns for the Brown Dodgers as they topped the Hilldales by a score of 3-2. Teams struggled through the first season. Hilldale was the first team to fold when they suspended operations in July 1945 due to financial reasons. United States League (1945) Newspaper coverage for the 1945 United States League was very limited. The Pittsburgh Crawfords are generally credited with having won the 1945 United States League championship title, Toledo was reported as coming in second and Brooklyn was in third place. No All Star game or World Series games were scheduled. According to Neil Lanctot in his book Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Fall of a Black Institution, when the highly publicized Brooklyn Brown Dodgers went under, Webster McDonald reorganized the team. Lanctot is, however, unclear as to whether this was in 1945 or Life Outside of Baseball When Webster s wife became sick in 1931, he and his wife made their permanent home in Philadelphia. In the late 1930 s McDonald was faced with a cross roads in his baseball career. He was almost 40 years old and wanted to spend more time closer to home with his wife. During this time, Webster was offered a very good job with the United States Post Office. McDonald spent 26 years with the Post Office. During his post baseball career he also worked for the Liberty Bell Race Track where he was the supervisor of the linen department. As he grew older he moved from his home to a housing project in North Philadelphia. Passing of a Negro League Legend Webster Mac McDonald passed away on June12, 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the age of 82. Earlier in the year, Webster had been mugged and was said to have physically never gotten over the incident. Once a household name and recognized everywhere he went, Mac died in quiet obscurity. New York Times

36 Assessing Webster McDonald s Career According to research conducted by the Center for Negro League Baseball Research (CNLBR), Webster McDonald compiled a won-loss record of (.657) in Negro League games and a record of (.732) in games against all levels of competition. All Negro League researchers agree that Webster McDonald was an outstanding pitcher during his career. The following chart identifies his won-loss record by year as compiled by several leading Negro League researchers. Larry Lester and Dick Clark MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia Year Baseball John Holway James Riley Reference Career Total Note: It is important to take into consideration that Webster McDonald played most of the regular season for Little Falls (MN) from Webster McDonald is best remembered for his domination of Major League all-star teams during post season play. He maintained a lifetime hex over Major Leaguers throughout his entire career. The Center for Negro League Baseball Research has documented his record against Major League All Stars as 15-3 (.833). Research is still being conducted because there are several games that other researchers have potentially identified in which McDonald may have pitched and figured into the decision against Major League opposition. One excellent example of his exemplary play against Major League competition is a game he pitched in At the age of 39 when his primary role on the Philadelphia Stars was that of the team s manager rather than a starting pitcher, he pitched 7 innings of no-hit shutout relief against a team of Major League All Stars. The game was played on October 14 th in Baltimore and McDonald was pitching for the Baltimore Elite Giants. During his prime when he was primarily a starting pitcher, Webster McDonald finished what he started. For the years 1925 through 1935 box scores have been found for 101 games that he started against league opponents and teams of high level competition. Webster completed 68 of these games for a 67 % completion rate of games started. This is a very impressive complete games ratio. He also had nine shutouts in these 101 starts. Throughout his career Webster McDonald possessed good control of his pitches on the mound. Box scores have been found for 227 games in which McDonald pitched against 34

37 league teams or teams of top level of competition during his career. In these 227 games he racked up innings pitched. Webster had 435 strikeouts and only 186 base-onballs. He had more than twice as many strikeouts as walks during his career. There is a significant problem of missing statistics for both his playing and managerial careers. During his playing career he undoubtedly played in a significant number of non-league games and in games against lower level of competition. Virtually all of these statistics still need to be found. In addition Webster spoke of going to Canada to pitch as he called it freelance. We don t have any of these games. In regards to his managerial career we are missing the vast majority of the games he managed against non-league and lower level teams. In addition according to McDonald he managed the Philadelphia Stars on the weekends during the 1938, 1939 and 1940 seasons and we do not have won-loss records for these games. Webster McDonald brought a winning tradition to the teams for which he played. During his career he played on the following championship teams. Year Team League Record 1926 Chicago American Giants Negro National League Chicago American Giants Negro League World Series Chicago American Giants Negro National League Chicago American Giants Negro League World Series Little Falls Northwest League Little Falls Northwest League Little Falls Northwest League Little Falls Northwest League Philadelphia Stars Negro National League Mac exhibited a tremendous amount of persistence. Especially early in his career. He started playing professional baseball in 1918 and it wasn t until 1925 that he broke into Negro League baseball at its highest level and was able to stay. Even though he had an appearance in the Negro National League in 1920 and a brief cup of coffee in the Eastern Colored League in 1923 and 1924, it took him seven (7) years to make it to the big leagues of black baseball and stay. Webster had a long career in Negro League baseball. He actively pitched professionally from for a total of 23 seasons. Most of the top Negro League players played winter baseball during the off season. California, Florida and Latin America were the most prevalent destinations of choice for these players. During his career Webster McDonald never played winter baseball. He instead chose to stay close to home and play for a number of different Negro League teams that barnstormed against Major-Minor League all-star teams. McDonald also excelled as a manager. During his managerial career, Mac compiled a won-loss record of (.544). He won the Negro National League title in 1934 and was also named to manage the East squad in the 1935 East-West All Star game. Webster McDonald was recognized by his peers for his outstanding play. In 1931 Negro League great, Ben Taylor, selected an All-Time East Negro League Team and he named Webster McDonald to his pitching staff. 35

38 Playing Career Regular Season: Year Team League 1918 Philadelphia Giants Independent 1918 Hilldale Independent 1919 Madison Stars Independent 1919 Hilldale Independent 1920 Norfolk Stars Independent 1920 Detroit Stars Negro National League 1921 Madison Stars Independent 1922 Chappie Johnson s All Stars Independent 1922 New York Lincoln Giants Independent 1922 Richmond Giants Independent 1922 Hilldale Independent 1922 Philadelphia Giants Independent 1923 Hilldale Eastern Colored League Philadelphia Giants Independent 1924 Hilldale Eastern Colored League 1925 Wilmington Potomacs Eastern Colored League Chicago American Giants Negro National League 1927 St. Louis Stars Negro National League 1928 Homestead Grays Independent Little Falls Independents Northwest League 1929 Homestead Grays American Negro League Chicago American Giants Negro National League 1930 Baltimore Black Sox Independent Hilldale Independent 1931 New York Black Yankees Independent 1932 Washington Pilots East-West League 1932 John Donaldson s All Stars Independent 1933 Philadelphia Stars Independent 1934 Philadelphia Stars Negro National League 1935 Chicago American Giants Negro National League Philadelphia Stars Negro National League 1938 Washington Black Senators Negro National League 1941 Otto Briggs All Stars Independent 1942 Philadelphia Daisies Negro Major League 1945 Philadelphia Hilldales (Owner) United States League Winter Leagues: Year Team League 1925 Chicago American Giants NNL Play-Off Series vs Detroit Stars 1925 Chicago American Giants Post Season Play 1926 Chicago American Giants NNL Play-Off Series vs Kansas City 1926 Chicago American Giants Negro League World Series vs Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 1926 Chicago American Giants Post Season Play 1927 Chicago American Giants NNL Play-Off Series vs Birmingham Black Barons 1927 Chicago American Giants Negro League World Series vs Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 36

39 Winter Leagues: (continued) Year Team League 1928 Homestead Grays Post Season Play 1928 Homestead Grays Three Games vs Major League All Stars 1929 Chicago American Giants Post Season Play 1929 Chicago American Giants Four Game Series vs Big League All Stars 1930 Hilldale Exhibition Game vs Brooklyn Bushwicks 1930 Baltimore Black Sox Post Season Series vs Hilldale 1930 Baltimore Black Sox Five Games vs Major League All Stars 1931 Hilldale Two Games vs Minor League All Stars 1931 Baltimore Black Sox Four Games vs Big League & International League All Stars 1932 Baltimore Black Sox Nine Games vs Major League All Stars 1933 Philadelphia Stars Three Games vs Major League All Stars 1934 Philadelphia Stars NNL Play-Off Series vs Chicago 1935 East (Manager) East-West All Star Game 1935 Colored League All Stars Exhibition Series vs Dizzy Dean All Stars 1938 Philadelphia Stars NNL Play-Off Series vs Pittsburgh 1938 Philadelphia Stars Series vs National League All Stars 1939 Philadelphia Stars Exhibition Game vs Brooklyn Bushwicks 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants Four Game Series vs Major League All Stars (Negro National League All Stars Colored All Stars) Hilldale (1923) Eastern Colored League Champions (left to right John Henry Pop Lloyd, Merven Red Ryan, Willis Pud Flournoy, Clint Thomas, Raleigh Biz Mackey, Jake Stephens, Jesse Nip Winters, Ed Bolden, Judy Johnson, Otto Briggs, George Johnson, George Tank Carr, Frank Warfield, Tom Allen, Scrip Lee and Louis Santop. Webster McDonald not pictured.) 37

40 Career Statistics Pitching (Regular Season) Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1918 Philadelphia Hilldale Detroit Richmond Philadelphia Hilldale Wilmington Chicago 1926 Chicago Chicago Chicago Homestead 1929 Chicago Homestead 1930 Hilldale Chicago 1930 Baltimore Hilldale Washington Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Total Career Statistics Pitching (Post Season Play-Offs) Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1925 Chicago Chicago Chicago Philadelphia Total Career Statistics Pitching (Negro League World Series) Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1926 Chicago Chicago Total Career Statistics Pitching (Non-League Games) Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1926 Chicago Chicago Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Total

41 Career Statistics Pitching (Exhibition Games vs Major Leaguers) Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1928 Homestead Baltimore Hilldale Baltimore Baltimore Philadelphia Philadelphia Colored All Stars Baltimore Total Career Statistics Pitching (Northwest League) Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1928 Little Falls Little Falls Little Falls Little Falls Total Career Statistics Pitching (Totals) Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA Negro League Post Season World Series Exhibition Non-League Northwest League Total Career Statistics Hitting (Regular Season Negro Leagues) Year Team Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG 1918 Philadelphia Hilldale Detroit Wilmington Chicago 1926 Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Hilldale Hilldale Washington Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Total

42 Managerial Career Regular Season League Games: Year Team League Record Pct. Place 1932 Washington Pilots East-West League Philadelphia Stars Negro National League st 1934 Philadelphia Stars NNL Play-Offs Won 1934 Philadelphia Stars Non-League Games Philadelphia Stars Exhibition Games Philadelphia Stars Negro National League th 1935 Philadelphia Stars Non-League Games East East-West All Star Game Philadelphia Stars Negro National League th 1936 Philadelphia Stars Non-League Did not manage Philadelphia Stars Negro National League Philadelphia Stars Negro National League Negro National League All Stars Philadelphia Stars Negro National League Total Managerial Career (Won-Loss Record) Won-Loss Pct. Negro League Non-League All Star Game Exhibition Games Total Managerial Championships Year Team League 1934 Philadelphia Stars Negro National League Notes - Managing Career 1. Webster McDonald took over managing the Washington Pilots after Frank Warfield passed away during the summer of According to Webster McDonald, he also managed the Philadelphia Stars on the weekends during the 1938, 1939 and 1940 seasons. McDonald Signs Petition to Get Negro League Players into the Major Leagues 40

43 Selected Career Highlights Webster McDonald compiled a won-loss record of (.657) in Negro League games and a record of (.732) in games against all levels of competition. McDonald dominated Major Leaguers in exhibition games during his career. The center for Negro League Baseball Research has documented through primary sources that McDonald had a record of 15-3 (.833) against Major-Minor League opponents. In 1922 McDonald posted a won-loss record of 15-4 (.789) for his partial season with the Richmond Giants. Webster reportedly went 27-3 (.900) while playing for the Philadelphia Giants in their 1923 barnstorming season against lower level opponents in the Northeast. McDonald Reportedly pitched three (3) no-hitters for the Philadelphia Giants when they were barnstorming through the New England area in Webster McDonald s best season in Negro National League play were 1925 (9-6), 1926 (9-5) and 1934 (8-3). Member of the 1926 Negro National League and Negro League World Series champions. Member of the 1927 Negro National League and Negro League World Series champions. During his Negro League career he struck out more than twice as many batters as he walked. He led Little Falls to four (4) Northwest League championships from During his career with Little Falls, Webster had reported won-loss records of 25-3 (1928), 27-2 (1929), 26-1 (1930) and 20-2 (1931). Managed the Philadelphia Stars to the Negro National League pennant in Selected as the manager for the East squad in the 1935 East-West All Star game. As a manager he compiled a won-loss record of (.544). Owned the Philadelphia Hilldales of the United States League. Webster McDonald and Sylvester Hooks Foreman Little Falls, Minnesota 41

44 Chicago American Giants Negro National League and Negro League World Series (1927) The Chicago American Giants finished the regular 1927 Negro National League season in first place with a record of (.677). Chicago won the first half of the season and faced the Birmingham Black Barons (55-43) who won the second half in a play-off series. Chicago defeated Birmingham in four straight games to win the league title and the right to represent the Negro National League in the Negro League World Series. The Chicago American Giants then defeated the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (Eastern Colored League) five games to three to win the 1927 Negro League World Series championship. This was the American Giants second straight Negro League World Series title. Chicago American Giants (1927) (Back row left to right- John Hines, George Harney, Charles Williams, James Gurley, James Brown and George Kobek. Middle row left to right George Sweatt, Willie Bill Foster, Sam Crawford, Rube Currie, Bill Robinson and Webster McDonald. Front row left to right Nat Rogers, Larry Brown, Dave Malarcher, Willie Powell, Stanford Jackson and Eddie Miller) 42