East-West All-Star Game

The East-West All-Star Game was an annual all-star game for Negro league baseball players. The game was the brainchild of Gus Greenlee, owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords. In 1933 he decided to match the Major League Baseball All-Star Game with Negro league players. Newspaper balloting was set up to allow the fans to choose the starting lineups for that first game, a tradition that continued through the series' end in 1962.

Because league structures were shaky during the Great Depression and also because certain teams (notably the Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays) frequently played entirely independent of the leagues, votes were not counted by league, but by geographical location. Hence, the games were known as the East-West All-Star Games. Votes were tallied by two of the major African-American weekly newspapers of the day, the Chicago Defender and the Pittsburgh Courier.

The Games

All games were held at Comiskey Park in Chicago unless otherwise noted.

• 1933 (September 10)
  • East 000 320 002 - 7
  • West 001 303 31x - 11
  • Batteries
    • East: Sam Streeter (Pittsburgh Crawfords) (L), Bertram Hunter (Pittsburgh Crawfords), George Britt (Homestead Grays) and Biz Mackey (Philadelphia Stars), Josh Gibson (Pittsburgh Crawfords)
    • West: Bill Foster (Chicago American Giants) (W) and Larry Brown (Chicago American Giants)
  • Home runs: Mule Suttles (Chicago American Giants)
  • Notes:
    • Bill Foster pitched a complete game for the West and Mule Suttles hit the first home run in East-West history.
    • The West squad used only its nine starters for the entire game.
    • The starting lineups reflected an imbalance in voting, as seven West starters came from the American Giants while five East starters were from either the Crawfords or Grays.
    • East first baseman Oscar Charleston (Pittsburgh Crawfords) received the most votes, with 43,793.

• 1934 (August 26)
  • East 000 000 010 - 1
  • West 000 000 000 - 0
  • Batteries
    • East: Slim Jones (Philadelphia Stars), Harry Kincannon (Pittsburgh Crawfords), Satchel Paige (Pittsburgh Crawfords) (W) and Cy Perkins (Pittsburgh Crawfords)
    • West: Ted Trent (Chicago American Giants), Chet Brewer (Kansas City Monarchs), Bill Foster (Chicago American Giants) (L) and Larry Brown (Chicago American Giants)
  • Home runs: none
  • Notes:
    • Three East pitchers combined on a 7-hit shutout.
    • Cool Papa Bell scored the only run in the eighth.
    • West pitcher Bill Foster received the most votes, 48,957.

• 1935 (August 11)
  • East 200 110 000 40 - 8
  • West 000 003 100 43 - 11
  • Batteries
    • East: Slim Jones (Pittsburgh Crawfords), Leon Day (Brooklyn Eagles), Luis Tiant, Sr. (New York Cubans), Martín Dihigo (New York Cubans) (L) and Biz Mackey (Philadelphia Stars)
  • West: Ray Brown (Homestead Grays), Leroy Matlock (Pittsburgh Crawfords), Ted Trent (Chicago American Giants), Bob Griffith (Columbus Elite Giants), Sug Cornelius (Chicago American Giants) (W) and Josh Gibson (Pittsburgh Crawfords)
  • Home runs: Slim Jones, Mule Suttles (Chicago American Giants)
  • Notes:
    • The score was 4-4 after nine, and each team scored four run in the tenth inning.
    • Mule Suttles hit a two-out three-run HR in the bottom of the 11th off Dihigo to win it.
    • West shortstop Willie Wells (Chicago American Giants) got the most votes, with 16,262

• 1936 (August 23)
  • East 200 130 220 - 10
  • West 000 001 010 - 2
  • Batteries
    • East: Leroy Matlock (Pittsburgh Crawfords) (W), Bill Byrd (Washington Elite Giants), Satchel Paige (Pittsburgh Crawfords) and Biz Mackey (Washington Elite Giants), Josh Gibson (Pittsburgh Crawfords)
    • West: Sug Cornelius (Chicago American Giants) (L), Floyd Kranson (Kansas City Monarchs), Andy Cooper (Kansas City Monarchs), Ted Trent (Chicago American Giants) and Harry Else (Kansas City Monarchs), Subby Byas (Chicago American Giants)
  • Home runs: none
  • Notes:
    • East pitcher Satchel Paige received the most votes, with 18,275

• 1937 East 7 West 2
  • Winner: Barney Morris Loser: Hilton Smith
    • There was also a North-South Game this year, played in Memphis, won by the northern teams 10-7.

• 1938 West 5 East 4
  • Winner: Hilton Smith Loser: Edsell Walker

• 1939 West 4 East 2 (first game)
  • Winner: Ted Radcliffe Loser: Roy Partlow

• 1939 East 10 West 2 (second game, played in New York City)
  • Winner: Bill Byrd Loser: Smoky Owens

• 1940 East 11 West 0
  • Winner: Henry McHenry Loser: Gene Bremmer

• 1941 East 8 West 3
  • Winner: Terris McDuffie Loser: Hilton Smith

• 1942 East 5 West 2
  • Winner: Leon Day Loser: Satchel Paige

• 1943 West 2 East 1
  • Winner: Satchel Paige Loser: Dave Barnhill

• 1944 West 7 East 4
  • Winner: Gentry Jessup Loser: Carranza Howard
    • Ted Radcliffe and his brother Alec contributed a home run and triple, respectively, and won $700 bonuses each, which they gave to their mother.
    • The game was nearly cancelled due to a player strike, as the owners upped the players' individual share from $60 to $150 before the game could go on.

• 1945 West 9 East 6
  • Winner: Verdell Mathis Loser: Tom Glover
    • Jackie Robinson, playing for the Monarchs, was chosen shortstop for the West team; he went zero-for-five.

• 1946 East 5 West 3 (first game, played in Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.)
  • Winner: Bill Byrd Loser: Vibert Clarke

• 1946 West 4 East 1 (second game, played at Comiskey Park)
  • Winner: Felix Evans Loser: Bill Byrd

• 1947 West 5 East 2
  • Winner: Dan Bankhead Loser: Max Manning

• 1948 West 3 East 0
  • Winner: Bill Powell Loser: Rufus Lewis

• 1949 East 4 West 0
  • Winner: Bob Griffith Loser: Gene Richardson

• 1950 West 5 East 3
  • Winner: Connie Johnson Loser: Raul Galata

• 1951 East 3 West 1 (August 12)

• 1952 West 7 East 3 (August 17)
  • East 010 001 010 - 3 7 4
  • West 106 000 00X - 7 9 1
  • Winner: Dick Phillips Loser: Thompson

• 1953 West 5 East 1 (August 16)
  • East 100 000 000 - 1 6 4
  • West 012 000 02X - 5 6 1
  • Winner: Sam (Buddy) Woods Loser: Willie Gaines

• 1954 West 8 East 4 (August 22)

• 1955 West 2 East 2 (July 31)
  • East 000 000 000 - 0 2
  • West 000 000 20X - 2 2
  • Winner: Isaiah Harris Loser: Jo Misky Cartledge

• 1956 East 11 West 5 (August 12)

• 1957 West 8 East 5 (July 28)
  • East 010 001 300 - 5 7 3
  • West 121 010 03X - 8 11 2
  • Winner: Gene Williams Loser: Elliott

• 1958 East 6 West 5 (August 31, played in Yankee Stadium, New York, NY)
  • East 000 020 220 - 6 6 2
  • West 000 230 000 - 5 5 3
  • Winner: Willie Harris Loser: Cane

• 1959 West 8 East 7, 11 innings (August 10)

• 1960 West 8 East 4 (August 21)
  • East 200 210 000 - 4 5 5
  • West 021 140 00X - 5 5 3

• 1961 West 7 East 1 (August 20, played in Yankee Stadium, New York, NY)
  • West 100 004 002 - 7 6 2
  • East 000 001 000 - 1 1 4
  • Winner: Satchel Paige Loser: Pete Gilliam

• 1962 West 5 East 2 (August 27, played in Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri)

References

• Holway, John Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues (Hastings House, 2001)
• Lester, Larry Black Baseball's National Showcase: The East-West All-Star Game, 1933-1953 (University of Nebraska Press, 2001)
• Peterson, Robert W. Only The Ball Was White, (New York: Prentice-Hall Englewood-Cliffs, 1970)
• New York Times. New York, N.Y.: Aug 13, 1951. p. 22; Aug 18, 1952. p. 21; Aug 17, 1953. p. 20; Sep 1, 1958. p. 16; Aug 11, 1959. p. 31; Aug 21, 1961. p. 27
• Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Jul 3, 1955. p. A2; Aug 1, 1955. p. C4; Jul 29, 1957. p. C4; Aug 22, 1960. p. C2
• Daily Defender. Chicago, Ill.: Jul 25, 1957. p. 24; Aug 28, 1962. p. 22