Biz Mackey: The Negro Leagues' great catcher
Roy Campanella’s mentor....
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This February is not only Black History Month, but also the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, which were born on Feb. 13, 1920. To help celebrate this centennial, MLB.com will be looking back at some Negro Leagues legends throughout the month.
There were three great catchers of the Negro Leagues era: Josh Gibson, Roy Campanella and Biz Mackey.
Gibson was called "The Black Babe Ruth." Campanella won three MVP Awards in the Major Leagues.
But Mackey was just as great as his legendary peers.
An unparalleled all-around catcher whom the great Negro Leagues hurlers loved to pitch to, Mackey could do it all behind the plate. He was sensational defensively and threw out baserunners with ease even from a crouch. In the minds of many of his peers, none topped Mackey at his position.
Here are some facts, figures and stories to know about Mackey, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
• Mackey's playing career lasted nearly 30 years, from the late 1910s well into the 1940s. The Texas native, born James Raleigh Mackey, spent his early days with the San Antonio Black Aces and played the prime of his Negro Leagues career for the Hilldale Giants.
Mackey led his Hilldale club to the Eastern Colored League pennant in 1924 and the Negro Leagues World Series championship in 1925. In addition to his skills as a catcher, Mackey was also a great hitter, a switch-hitter whose batting average at his peak was always well above .300, sometimes even .400.
In the 1925 Negro Leagues World Series -- a rematch of the inaugural '24 series against the Kansas City Monarchs -- Mackey had three hits in Hilldale's championship-clinching Game 6 win, including the home run that put the series away in the seventh inning. He led his team with a .375 average for the series.
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