Today's African American fact from baseball's "Golden Era" - Elston Howard

On November 7, 1963 Elston Howard of the New York Yankees was named the 1963 Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the American League.  After Jackie Robinson broke through the color line in 1947 when he began playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, National League teams brought in more African American ballplayers than the American League and became integrated at a faster pace.  By 1963, African Americans had won the National League MVP Award eleven times, Robinson winning the first in 1949 and a black player winning it consecutively from 1953 – 1959. 

Howard was the first African American to win the MVP Award in the American League.

The Yankees signed Howard in 1950 when he was playing Negro League baseball with the Kansas City Monarchs.  While in their minor league system the Yankees trained him to be a catcher.  Howard played in 97 games his 1955 rookie season and hit 10 home runs while batting .290.  He spent the next five years splitting time between playing left field and sharing the catching duties with future Hall of Famer Yogi Berra.  In 1961, when he became the Yankees main catcher, Howard hit .348 with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs and in 1962 he hit .279 with 21 home runs and 91 RBIs.

Yankee sluggers Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were both slowed by injuries during the 1963 season.  But Howard provided the offensive punch the team needed.  He batted fourth, the “clean-up” spot in the batting order, for most of the season.  He led the team in home runs (28), batting average (.287), and was second in RBIs (85).  With Howard’s efforts, the Yankees won their eighth of the nine American League pennants they captured during his time playing with the team (1955 – 1967).

Who was the African American catcher that finished eighth in the American League MVP voting in 1963?

Today's African American fact from baseball's "Golden Era" - Mack Jones

The Braves first season in Atlanta (1966) after moving from Milwaukee marked the return home of their centerfielder.  Born on November 6, 1938 in Atlanta, Mack Jones played in the outfield next to Hall of Famer Henry Aaron during the Braves final years in Milwaukee and their first two years in Atlanta.

A left handed power hitter with speed to cover ground in the outfield, Jones took a home run cut whenever he swung at a pitch.  In four seasons during his 10 year Major League career, he struck over 100 times.   Jones signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1958 after they discovered him playing with a semi-professional team in Atlanta.  In his first Major League game in 1961, he hit three singles and a double.  Jones arrived back home in Atlanta following his most productive season with Braves, 31 home runs with 75 RBIs in 1965.  He did not repeat those power numbers in Atlanta.  He hit 23 home runs with 66 RBIs in 1966 and 17 home runs with 50 RBIs in 1967.

The Braves traded Jones to the Cincinnati Reds in 1968 and he was then selected the next year in the expansion draft by the Montreal Expos.  In the team’s home opening game on April 14, 1969, Jones hit the first Major League home run in Canada.  A favorite with the Expos fans, Jones was the team’s second leading hitter in its inaugural season with 22 home runs, seventy-nine RBIs, and a .270 batting average.

Thinking we had become too mature to do such a “little kid's” thing, the last year my friends and I collected baseball cards was 1965.  The picture above is Jones’ Topps baseball card from that year.  Notice that his baseball glove is in his back pocket.  We concluded he had the smallest fielding glove we had ever seen or huge back pockets.

Who was the African American outfielder that split playing time with Mack Jones for the Milwaukee Braves in 1963?