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Josh Gibson In black baseball, only Satchel Paige was a better known personality than Josh Gibson. A natural hitter, the right-handed slugger hit for both distance and average, and was the standard against whom other hitters were measured. Gibson, was aptly titled "the black Babe Ruth" and his indomitable presence in the batter's box personified power and electrified a crowd. The slugger's rolled up left sleeve revealed the latent strength in his massive arm muscles, and his eyes riveted the pitcher from beneath a turned-up cap bill as he awaited the pitch with a casual confidence. Gibson is credited with 962 home runs in his 17 year career, although many of these were against nonleague teams. Many of the individual season marks that are accredited to him are also against all levels of opposition, including 75 home runs in 1931, 69 in 1934, and 84 in 1936 in 170 games. He also hit for average compiling a .354 lifetime batting average in the Negro Leagues, a .373 average for 2 seasons in Mexico, a .353 average for 2 winter seasons in Cuba, a .412 average in exhibition games against major-leaguers, and a .479 average while earning the MVP award in the Puerto Rican winter league. Always affable and easygoing, Gibson was well liked and respected by his peers. His popularity extended to the fans, and was voted to start in 9 East-West All-Star games, in which he compiled a sensational .483 batting average. With the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1932, Gibson combined 34 home runs with a .380 batting average in his first season with the club. Thereafter, he recorded batting averages of .464, .384, .440, and .457, and he slugged 69 hoe runs in 1934. Although their exsistence as a team was brief, the Pittsburgh Crawfords are considered the greatest team in the history of the black baseball. The exceptional success achieved by every team on which Josh played stands as further tribute to his extraordinary talent. While Gibson was enjoying continued success on the playing field, off the diamond, a dark side of his personal life had begun to manifest itself. Earlier in his career, he had avoided a lifestyle that would lead to dissipation. But by the end of the 1942 season, a decline in his physical and psychological well-being was in evidence, and in January 1943 he was committed to the hospital after having suffered a nervous-breakdown. For the remainder of his life he was plagued with personal problems resulting from excessive drinking and possible substance abuse. In 1943, the source of recurring headaches was diagnosed as a brain tumor. Gibson understood the gravity of that condition, but didn't flinch. "Death ain't nothing," he said. "You can't tell me nothing about death. Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner." On a January evening four years later, having sought refuge from the pounding in his head in a darkened movie theater, Gibson was found unconscious in his seat when the lights came on. He was taken to his mother's house, where he passed away early the next morning -- at 35 -- three months before Jackie Robinson kicked down the door to the Majors. In 1972, preceded only by Satchel Paige, Gibson became the second player from the Negro League to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Led League in BA in 1938, 42-43, 45 Led League in HR in 1932, 34, 36, 38-39, 42, 44-46 Did you know that Josh Gibson got his start with Homestead of the Negro National League in July of 1930 when he came out of the stands to replace the Grays' injured catcher.