The Negro League baseball history fact for today - Maddix and Presswood

 

Both Raydell Maddix and Henry Presswood played Negro League baseball after the “invisible color line” was broken and Major League teams began signing African Americans.  Maddix and Presswood were opponents and teammates of Negro League players that went on to play in the Major Leagues.  However, neither of the two went beyond playing in the Negro Leagues.

Born on October 7, 1928, Raydell Maddix pitched for the Indianapolis Clowns from 1947 – 1953.  For a short time before signing with the Milwaukee Braves in 1952, Henry Aaron was Maddix’s teammate.  A left handed fastball hurler, Maddix for two years led the Negro American League in strikeouts; 1948 and 1949.   He pitched against Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Elston Howard, and others who went on to play in the Major Leagues.

Henry "Hank" Presswood was born on October 7, 1921 in Electric Mills, Mississippi.  After coming out of the military in 1947, he played with the Cleveland Buckeyes from 1948 – 1950.  His 1948 Buckeye teammates Sam Jethroe, Sam Jones, and Al Smith went on to play in the Major Leagues.  Presswood finished his Negro League career playing for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1952.   Ernie Banks was his teammate.


How many former Kansas City Monarchs played in the Major Leagues?