The Black Aces are a group of African-American pitchers who have won at least 20 games during a single Major League Baseball (MLB) season. The term comes from the title of a 2007 book by MLB pitcher Mudcat Grant (1935–2021), one of the members of the group. Through the 2023 MLB season, 15 different African-American pitchers have accomplished the feat.
Background
Following the desegregation of MLB in the late 1940s, and continuing through the establishment of the MLB draft in 1965, it was common for major-league teams to convert African-American pitchers into position players rather than allowing them to continue pitching. Through the 1950s, only two African-American pitchers were 20-game winners—Don Newcombe and Sam Jones. In 1965, they were joined by Bob Gibson and Mudcat Grant; the latter being the first African-American 20-game winner in American League history. Two other African-American pitchers, Ferguson Jenkins and Earl Wilson, also accomplished the feat during the 1960s. Since then, there have been several additions to the list of such pitchers—referred to as Black Aces—three in the 1970s, three in then 1980s, one in the 2000s, and two in the 2010s.
In the mid-2000s, surviving members of the group organized to promote their successes and encourage the development of future black players. In 2007, The Black Aces: Baseball's Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners was published, authored by Grant. Some black pitchers from Latin America, notably Cuban-born Luis Tiant (a 20-win pitcher four times in his career), have expressed disappointment that they were not included. Meanwhile, Canadian-born Ferguson Jenkins is included as a Black Ace (Jenkins traces his ancestry on his mother's side to escaped U.S. slaves).
In February 2007, during an event to honor Black History Month, President George W. Bush honored book author Grant and three of his fellow Black Aces (Jenkins, Mike Norris, and Dontrelle Willis) at the White House. During the 2007 MLB season, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum had a traveling exhibit honoring the Black Aces. The Black Aces were celebrated at Oakland's McAfee Coliseum during that season.
Two members of the Black Aces, Gibson and Jenkins, are members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
List of Black Aces
Grant's book, published in 2007, listed 13 pitchers as Black Aces. Subsequently, two African-American pitchers have also won 20 or more games in a single MLB season. Thus, there are currently 15 pitchers considered Black Aces, as listed in the following table.
| Pitcher | Name of the person who accomplished the feat |
|---|---|
| # | Number of seasons the pitcher won 20 or more games |
| Season and record | Season(s) in which the pitcher won 20 or more games, and their win–loss record in each such season |
| Team | Team(s) the pitcher played for when he won 20 or more games |
| † | Pitcher is an inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
| ‡ | Pitcher accomplished the feat after the book was published in 2007 |
| Pitcher | # | Season and record | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vida Blue | 3 | 1971 (24–8), 1973 (20–9), 1975 (22–11) | Oakland Athletics |
| Al Downing | 1 | 1971 (20–9) | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Bob Gibson † | 5 | 1965 (20–12), 1966 (21–12), 1968 (22–9), 1969 (20–13), 1970 (23–7) | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Dwight Gooden | 1 | 1985 (24–4) | New York Mets |
| Mudcat Grant | 1 | 1965 (21–7) | Minnesota Twins |
| Ferguson Jenkins † | 7 | 1967 (20–13), 1968 (20–15), 1969 (21–15), 1970 (22–16), 1971 (24–13), 1972 (20–12) 1974 (25–12) |
Chicago Cubs Texas Rangers |
| Sam Jones | 1 | 1959 (21–15) | San Francisco Giants |
| Don Newcombe | 3 | 1951 (20–9), 1955 (20–5), 1956 (27–7) | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| Mike Norris | 1 | 1980 (22–9) | Oakland Athletics |
| David Price ‡ | 1 | 2012 (20–5) | Tampa Bay Rays |
| J. R. Richard | 1 | 1976 (20–15) | Houston Astros |
| CC Sabathia ‡ | 1 | 2010 (21–7) | New York Yankees |
| Dave Stewart | 4 | 1987 (20–13), 1988 (21–12), 1989 (21–9), 1990 (22–11) | Oakland Athletics |
| Dontrelle Willis | 1 | 2005 (22–10) | Florida Marlins |
| Earl Wilson | 1 | 1967 (22–11) | Detroit Tigers |
References
- "Major League Baseball News". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008.
- "The Black Aces: A baseball pitching fraternity with a multitude of storylines". The Athletic. February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
Don Newcombe was the first Black pitcher to win 20 games in a season, in 1951. ... Sam Jones joined him with a 20-win season in 1959. Since then, 13 other pitchers have joined the fraternity known as the Black Aces.
- ^ Ostler, Scott (31 May 2007). "Pass it on -- Norris wants to keep Aces' legacy alive". SFGate.
- ^ "A's honor Vida Blue, Mike Norris, Dave Stewart and Jim "Mudcat" Grant". Archived from the original on 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- Kroichick, Ron (28 February 2006). "The Black Aces / Book profiles 13 pitchers who changed perceptions". SFGate.
- ^ Grant, Jim "Mudcat"; Sabellico, Tom; O'Brien, Pat (2007). The Black Aces: Baseball's Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners. Aventine Press. ISBN 978-1593304881.
- "Topic Galleries – South Florida". Sun-Sentinel.com.
- "Ferguson Jenkins Jr". Who's Who in Black Canada. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2012 – via Wayback Machine.
- "President Bush Celebrates African American History Month". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. The White House. February 12, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
- Simmons, Rusty (30 May 2007). "New problem for Geren when DL ranks thin". SFGate.
- ^ Gambler, DA (April 25, 2021). "What Is A Black Ace? | CC Sabathia Blesses David Price With Some Brotherly Drip". mlbbro.com. Retrieved February 18, 2024.