1939 Homestead Grays season
Negro National League (1933–1948)|Negro National League team season
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The 1939 Homestead Grays baseball team competed in the Negro National League (NNL) during the 1939 baseball season. The Grays compiled a 49â21â1 record (40â19â1 against NNL opponents) and won the NNL championship.[1] The team played its home games at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C.
| 1939 Homestead Grays | |
|---|---|
| League | Negro National League |
| Ballpark | Forbes Field, Griffith Stadium |
| City | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. |
| Record | 49â21â1 (.697) |
| Managers | Vic Harris |
Vic Harris was the team's manager and left fielder. The team included the following players who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame:
- Catcher Josh Gibson led the NNL with an .833 slugging percentage and 12 home runs and ranked second in the league with 43 RBIs, a .398 batting average and a .465 on-base percentage.[2]
- First baseman Buck Leonard led the NNL with 48 RBIs and ranked second with 11 home runs and a .744 slugging percentage, fourth with a .360 on-base percentage, and sixth with a .364 batting average.[2]
- Pitcher and right fielder Ray Brown compiled a 6-1 win-loss record.[1]
Right fielder David Whatley led the NNL with a .423 batting average.[2] Other regular players included second baseman Sam Bankhead, shortstop Jelly Jackson, third baseman Henry Spearman, center fielder Jerry Benjamin, and pitchers Edsall Walker, Roy Partlow, and Specs Roberts.[1]
Standings
| vs. Negro National League | vs. Major Black teams | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negro National League | W | L | T | Pct. | GB | W | L | T | Pct. |
| (1) Homestead Grays | 40 | 19 | 1 | .675 | â | 49 | 21 | 1 | .664 |
| (2) Newark Eagles | 36 | 27 | 1 | .570 | 6 | 45 | 27 | 1 | .623 |
| (3) Philadelphia Stars | 32 | 31 | 1 | .508 | 10 | 32 | 31 | 1 | .508 |
| New York Black Yankees | 21 | 25 | 4 | .460 | 12½ | 23 | 25 | 4 | .481 |
| (4) Baltimore Elite Giants | 23 | 28 | 0 | .451 | 13 | 31 | 32 | 0 | .492 |
| Toledo Crawfordsâ | 4 | 6 | 1 | .409 | 11½ | 4 | 6 | 1 | .409 |
| New York Cubans | 7 | 27 | 0 | .206 | 20½ | 9 | 27 | 0 | .250 |
â Toledo Crawfords withdrew from the league after the first half of the season.