The
baseball career of Quincy Thomas Trouppe gives a clear picture of an African
American ballplayer during the 1930s and 1940s before the Major Leagues were
integrated. Trouppe, born on December
25, 1912 in Dublin, Georgia, spent fifteen years in Negro League baseball. He finally got the opportunity to put on a
Major League uniform in 1952.
A
6’2”. 225 pound catcher, Trouppe’s journey through Negro League baseball began in
1930. He stopped to play with many of
the most renowned franchises; the St. Louis Stars, Homestead Grays, Kansas City
Monarchs, and Chicago American Giants.
But Trouppe was lured away to play in the Mexican League from 1939 –
1944. He returned before the 1944 Negro
League season to be the player manager of the Cleveland Buckeyes.
Many
of the great Negro League players that have plaques in the National Baseball
Hall of Fame were either a teammate or competitor of Quincy Trouppe. He was elected by fans to play in five Negro
League East-West All Star games.
As
player manager for the Cleveland Buckeyes (1944 – 1947), Trouppe’s team won the
1945 Negro League World Series championship beating the famed Homestead
Grays. It also won the 1947 Negro
American League pennant, but lost the World Series to the New York Cuban
Giants.
In
1952, when he was 39 years old, Trouppe signed a minor league contract with the
Cleveland Indians. Brought up from the
minors once the season started, he made his Major League debut on April 30
against the Philadelphia Athletics.
Trouppe went hit less in two at bats.
Appearing in six games, he got one hit and was sent back to the minors
in May.
What three former Negro League
players were in the Indians’ line up when Quincy Trouppe made his Major League
debut?
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