Cyclone Joe Williams
Encyclopedia
Joseph Williams nicknamed "Cyclone Joe" or "Smokey Joe", was an American right-handed pitcher
in the Negro leagues
. He is widely recognized as one of the game's greatest pitchers, even though he never played a game in the major leagues
. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999
.
Williams was born in Seguin, Texas
; one of his parents was African American
and the other was a Comanche
Indian. He grew up to become an outstanding baseball pitcher, but as his path to the major leagues was barred by the color line
; Williams spent his entire 27-year career (1905–32) pitching in the Negro leagues, Mexico, and the Caribbean
.
He entered professional baseball in 1905 with the San Antonio Black Bronchos, and was an immediate star, posting records of 28-4, 15-9, 20-8, 20-2 and 32-8. After that, the Chicago Leland Giants
, a team higher in the pecking order of black baseball, acquired him. In 1910, the Giants owner Frank Leland
pronounced him the best pitcher in baseball, in any league.
In 1911, Williams joined the Lincoln Giants
of New York, helping that club become one of the premier African-American teams of the era. When manager John Henry Lloyd
departed in 1914, Williams took over as playing manager, a post he held through the 1923 season. After the Lincolns finished an ignominious fifth (out of six teams) in the Eastern Colored League
's inaugural season, Williams was released in the spring of 1924. He joined the Brooklyn Royal Giants
for a season, then signed with the independent Homestead Grays
, where, except for a brief turn with the Detroit Wolves
in 1932, he spent the rest of his career in top-level black baseball. Records are sketchy, but in 1914, Williams was credited with winning a total of 41 games against just three losses. In 1929, playing for the Grays in the American Negro League
at the age of 43, Williams won 12 games and lost seven.
Although barred from the major leagues, Williams pitched many games against major-league stars in post-season barnstorming exhibitions. He proved to be as tough against them as he was against the Negro leaguers, posting a 20-7 record in these games. Among his victims were Grover Alexander, Walter Johnson
, Chief Bender
, Rube Marquard
, and Waite Hoyt
, all Hall of Famers. Three different times, he faced the eventual National League
champions. He won two of those games and lost the third, 1-0 to the 1917 New York Giants
despite throwing a no-hitter.
On August 7, 1930, at age 44, he struck out
27 Kansas City Monarchs
in a 1-0, 12-inning victory. That same year, he beat a younger Negro league star who was just bursting into superstardom, Leroy (Satchel) Paige, also by 1-0, in their only meeting against one another. Williams retired from baseball two years later. There was a "Smokey Joe Williams Day" at the Polo Grounds in 1950. He died at age 64 in New York City.
Considerable debate existed and still exists over whether Williams or Paige was the greatest of the Negro league pitchers. Most modern sources lean toward Paige, but in 1952, a poll taken by the Pittsburgh Courier named Williams the greatest pitcher in Negro league history.
During Williams' years in New York, he acquired the nickname "Cyclone Joe", or simply "Cyclone", frequently being listed in box scores solely by nickname. After joining the Homestead Grays in the late 1920s, his nickname became "Smokey Joe", and the older "Cyclone" appellation was rarely used after that.
In , after extensive research on the early years of black baseball revealed his outstanding record, Williams was selected for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in the Negro leagues
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
. He is widely recognized as one of the game's greatest pitchers, even though he never played a game in the major leagues
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1999
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1999 followed the system in use since 1995. The Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent major league players and elected three: George Brett, Nolan Ryan, and Robin Yount...
.
Williams was born in Seguin, Texas
Seguin, Texas
Seguin is a city in Guadalupe County, Texas, in the United States. It is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,011; the July 1, 2009 Census estimate, however, showed the population had increased to 26,842...
; one of his parents was African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and the other was a Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
Indian. He grew up to become an outstanding baseball pitcher, but as his path to the major leagues was barred by the color line
Baseball color line
The color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
; Williams spent his entire 27-year career (1905–32) pitching in the Negro leagues, Mexico, and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
He entered professional baseball in 1905 with the San Antonio Black Bronchos, and was an immediate star, posting records of 28-4, 15-9, 20-8, 20-2 and 32-8. After that, the Chicago Leland Giants
Leland Giants
The Chicago Union Giants, the top black baseball team in the Midwest or West in the first decade of the 20th century, changed its name in 1905 to the Leland Giants, after manager and owner Frank Leland....
, a team higher in the pecking order of black baseball, acquired him. In 1910, the Giants owner Frank Leland
Frank Leland
Frank C. Leland was an African-American baseball player, field manager and club owner in the Negro Leagues.Leland was born in Memphis, Tennessee...
pronounced him the best pitcher in baseball, in any league.
In 1911, Williams joined the Lincoln Giants
Lincoln Giants
The Lincoln Giants were a Negro League baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930.- Founding :Jess McMahon, a white promoter, hired Sol White, former manager of the Philadelphia Giants, to put together a club...
of New York, helping that club become one of the premier African-American teams of the era. When manager John Henry Lloyd
John Henry Lloyd
John Henry "Pop" Lloyd was an American baseball player and manager in the Negro leagues. He is generally considered the greatest shortstop in Negro league history, and both Babe Ruth and Ted Harlow, a noted sportswriter, reportedly believed Lloyd to be the greatest baseball player ever.He was a...
departed in 1914, Williams took over as playing manager, a post he held through the 1923 season. After the Lincolns finished an ignominious fifth (out of six teams) in the Eastern Colored League
Eastern Colored League
The Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, more commonly known as the Eastern Colored League , was one of the several Negro leagues, which operated during the time organized baseball was segregated.- History :...
's inaugural season, Williams was released in the spring of 1924. He joined the Brooklyn Royal Giants
Brooklyn Royal Giants
The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York which played in the Negro Leagues. They were one of the premier professional teams before World War I, winning multiple championships in the East.- League play :...
for a season, then signed with the independent Homestead Grays
Homestead Grays
The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...
, where, except for a brief turn with the Detroit Wolves
Detroit Wolves
The Detroit Wolves were a Negro Leagues baseball club that played for just one year . In 1931 the Negro National League collapsed. It reformed in 1933, but in the interim Detroit was left without a Negro Leagues team, as the Detroit Stars had been members of the NNL. In 1932, the city placed the...
in 1932, he spent the rest of his career in top-level black baseball. Records are sketchy, but in 1914, Williams was credited with winning a total of 41 games against just three losses. In 1929, playing for the Grays in the American Negro League
American Negro League
The American Negro League was one of several Negro leagues which were established during the period in the United States in which organized baseball was segregated...
at the age of 43, Williams won 12 games and lost seven.
Although barred from the major leagues, Williams pitched many games against major-league stars in post-season barnstorming exhibitions. He proved to be as tough against them as he was against the Negro leaguers, posting a 20-7 record in these games. Among his victims were Grover Alexander, Walter Johnson
Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators...
, Chief Bender
Chief Bender
Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...
, Rube Marquard
Rube Marquard
Richard William "Rube" Marquard was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s...
, and Waite Hoyt
Waite Hoyt
Waite Charles Hoyt was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, one of the dominant pitchers of the 1920s, and the winningest pitcher for the New York Yankees during that decade...
, all Hall of Famers. Three different times, he faced the eventual National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
champions. He won two of those games and lost the third, 1-0 to the 1917 New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
despite throwing a no-hitter.
On August 7, 1930, at age 44, he struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
27 Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro Leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J.L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J.L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time...
in a 1-0, 12-inning victory. That same year, he beat a younger Negro league star who was just bursting into superstardom, Leroy (Satchel) Paige, also by 1-0, in their only meeting against one another. Williams retired from baseball two years later. There was a "Smokey Joe Williams Day" at the Polo Grounds in 1950. He died at age 64 in New York City.
Considerable debate existed and still exists over whether Williams or Paige was the greatest of the Negro league pitchers. Most modern sources lean toward Paige, but in 1952, a poll taken by the Pittsburgh Courier named Williams the greatest pitcher in Negro league history.
During Williams' years in New York, he acquired the nickname "Cyclone Joe", or simply "Cyclone", frequently being listed in box scores solely by nickname. After joining the Homestead Grays in the late 1920s, his nickname became "Smokey Joe", and the older "Cyclone" appellation was rarely used after that.
In , after extensive research on the early years of black baseball revealed his outstanding record, Williams was selected for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Further reading
- (Riley.) "Smokey Joe" Williams, Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley (confirmed 2010-04-16)
External links
- 1999 Hall of Fame Inductee: Joe Williams (video) – unknown content, URL confirmed 2010-04-16