Josh Gibson.

Josh Gibson. Josh Gibson (1911-1947), American professional baseball player, who was one of the leading hitters in the Negro Leagues. The term Negro Leagues is commonly used to refer to organized baseball played by blacks in the late 19th century and early 20th century, when they were barred from major league competition. Joshua Gibson was born in Buena Vista, Georgia, and moved with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a child. He began playing semiprofessional baseball in 1927. In 1930 he was attending a game between the Homestead Grays and the Kansas City Monarchs when the Grays' catcher was injured. The Grays then called Gibson out of the stands, and he became a member of the team. The following year he hit 75 home runs, establishing himself as a leading power hitter. In 1932 Gibson joined the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He played for the Crawfords through 1936 and then returned to the Grays. In 1941 Gibson played for Vera Cruz of the Mexican League. He rejoined the Grays in 1942, but soon after he was diagnosed as having a brain tumor. Refusing to have surgery, Gibson continued to play. Although his skills were declining, he managed to win the Negro National League (NNL) batting title in 1945 and 1946. He died before the 1947 season began. A lack of reliable statistics makes it hard to compare Gibson to leading white ballplayers of the time, such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx. The records that do exist indicate that during his career Gibson hit more than 800 home runs with a batting average well over .300, making him one of the outstanding hitters in baseball history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.