Think of Pittsburgh baseball legends: Clemente, Stargell, Wagner – all worthy of mention. But never forget Josh Gibson.
“The black Babe Ruth” played in the Negro Leagues for the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords in the ‘30s and ‘40s. He was a phenomenal athlete, batting .359 for his career and carrying a reputation as a dynamite catcher.
The ugly head of prejudice kept Gibson from joining the majors, but his talent shined light on the baseball color barrier that was dissolved in 1947, the year of his death. Gibson was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
– Morgan McCoy, WordWrite