Luke Easter (baseball player)
Encyclopedia
Luscious Luke Easter was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball
and the Negro leagues
. He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, was 6'4", and weighed 240 lb. The birth year listed here is drawn from census data. Easter himself listed multiple birth years ranging from 1911 to 1921 on different occasions, so some ambiguity as to the correct year exists.
. His family had moved there when Easter was four years old, so that his father James could secure a more lucrative job in the auto industry; prior to that time, the Easters had been farmers in the Mississippi Delta
. He attended the same high school as fellow Negro league star Quincy Trouppe
. After graduation, Easter was good enough to be a professional player, but there was no Negro league franchise in St. Louis. As a result, in 1937 Easter joined the top team in the area, a semipro outfit called the St. Louis Titanium Giants. This team was sponsored by the American Titanium Company, with membership drawn from the company's worker base; players held a job at the factory and received a weekly paycheck, but received substantial amounts of time off from "work" to practice and to participate in games against visiting squads. During the time Easter played for them, the Giants fielded a very competitive team; also featuring Sam Jethroe
, they went 6-0 in exhibitions against teams in the Negro American League in 1940. Easter played for the Giants until 1941, when he suffered a fractured leg in a car accident, as a passenger in a car driven by Jethroe.
During World War II
, Easter avoided combat by working domestically in war-essential industries. Luscious Easter 37 368 805 was inducted into the Army of the United States at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, on June 22, 1942, and stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, with the Quartermaster Corps. He was separated from the Army at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri on July 3, 1943. (National Archives and Records Administration.) After the war ended, he tried to resume his playing career by trying out for manager "Candy Jim" Taylor
of the Chicago American Giants
. Taylor elected not to sign Easter, but referred him to promoter Abe Saperstein
, who at that time was founding a new touring baseball team, the Cincinnati Crescents
. Saperstein signed Easter, and after a successful 1946 season, sold him to the Homestead Grays
.
.363, tied for the league lead in home run
s, and led the league in runs batted in. He led the Grays to a victory over the Birmingham Black Barons
in that year's Negro League World Series
, the last ever played. His success attracted the attention of Bill Veeck
, owner of the Cleveland Indians
, who purchased his contract from the Grays. A knee injury in spring training
in 1949 cost Easter a spot on the major league roster at the start of the season. He started the year in the Pacific Coast League
; despite a mid-season operation on the knee, continued to star. He again batted .363, along with 25 home runs and 80 RBI. This performance impressed the Indians so much that they called Easter up for a brief appearance at the end of the season, and early in 1950 traded All-Star
Mickey Vernon
to open up first base
for him.
As a 34-year-old rookie, Easter continued his power hitting, ranking among the league leaders in home runs and RBI, and led the league in times hit by pitch
. He continued to produce in 1951 and 1952, finishing 13th in Most Valuable Player
voting in the latter year, but continuing knee and ankle problems, as well as advancing age, brought his major league career to an end. He played in only 68 ML games in 1953, spending part of the year at AAA, and finished his major league career with six games in 1954.
Easter continued to play professionally at AAA, even though the leg injuries had reduced his running speed to a limp. He played regularly for the Ottawa Athletics
, Charleston Senators
, Buffalo Bisons
and Rochester Red Wings
, and won the International League
's MVP award with the Bisons in 1957. He ultimately retired as a player in 1963, at the age of 48, and worked for several years thereafter as a coach. His number (36) was retired by the Rochester Red Wings and number (25) by the Buffalo Bisons.
during game action, a section that was 475 feet from home plate. During his rookie season, he also hit the longest home run in the history of Cleveland's Municipal Stadium
, a 477-foot blast over the auxiliary scoreboard in right field; the only other player to match that feat was Mickey Mantle
, who did it in 1960. Finally, during his twilight days with the Bisons, he became the first player to hit a home run over the center field scoreboard at Buffalo's home park, Offermann Stadium
, doing so twice in a month in 1957.
When told by a fan one time that the fan had seen Easter's longest home run in person, Easter is reported to have replied, "If it came down, it wasn't my longest."
, Curt Blefary
, and Pete Ward
were among the players who credited Easter as a positive influence on their careers.
in the east side suburb of Euclid, Ohio
. On March 29, 1979 he was shot and killed outside a bank at East 260th Street and Euclid Avenue while transporting $5,000 from payroll checks. Police reports indicated that Easter was approached by two robbers armed with shotguns and after refusing to turn over the funds, he was shot twice at close range.
In 1980, Woodland Hills Park, in Cleveland's Mount Pleasant
neighborhood, was renamed Luke Easter Park in memoriam.
In "The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract," baseball writer and statistician Bill James
rated Easter as the second-best first baseman in the history of the Negro leagues, behind only Buck Leonard
. He described Easter as "an amiable, fun-loving man who gambled, wasn't 100% honest, and had a temper," with "shoulders that crossed three lanes of traffic," but also claimed that "if you could clone him and bring him back, you'd have the greatest power hitter in baseball today, if not ever."
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...
and 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 batted left-handed, threw right-handed, was 6'4", and weighed 240 lb. The birth year listed here is drawn from census data. Easter himself listed multiple birth years ranging from 1911 to 1921 on different occasions, so some ambiguity as to the correct year exists.
Early career
Easter grew up in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. His family had moved there when Easter was four years old, so that his father James could secure a more lucrative job in the auto industry; prior to that time, the Easters had been farmers in the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
. He attended the same high school as fellow Negro league star Quincy Trouppe
Quincy Trouppe
Quincy Thomas Trouppe was an American professional baseball player and an amateur boxing champion. He was a catcher in the Negro Leagues from 1930 to 1949. He was a native of Dublin, Georgia....
. After graduation, Easter was good enough to be a professional player, but there was no Negro league franchise in St. Louis. As a result, in 1937 Easter joined the top team in the area, a semipro outfit called the St. Louis Titanium Giants. This team was sponsored by the American Titanium Company, with membership drawn from the company's worker base; players held a job at the factory and received a weekly paycheck, but received substantial amounts of time off from "work" to practice and to participate in games against visiting squads. During the time Easter played for them, the Giants fielded a very competitive team; also featuring Sam Jethroe
Sam Jethroe
Samuel Jethroe, nicknamed "The Jet" , was an American center fielder in Negro League and Major League Baseball. With the Cincinnati & Cleveland Buckeyes he won a pair of batting titles, hit .340 over seven seasons from 1942 to 1948, and helped the team to two pennants and the Negro League World...
, they went 6-0 in exhibitions against teams in the Negro American League in 1940. Easter played for the Giants until 1941, when he suffered a fractured leg in a car accident, as a passenger in a car driven by Jethroe.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Easter avoided combat by working domestically in war-essential industries. Luscious Easter 37 368 805 was inducted into the Army of the United States at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, on June 22, 1942, and stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, with the Quartermaster Corps. He was separated from the Army at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri on July 3, 1943. (National Archives and Records Administration.) After the war ended, he tried to resume his playing career by trying out for manager "Candy Jim" Taylor
Candy Jim Taylor
James Allen "Candy Jim" Taylor was an American third baseman and manager in Negro league baseball.-Biography:Born in Anderson, South Carolina, Taylor was one of four brothers who played in the Negro Leagues, along with Ben, C. I. and "Steel Arm" Johnny...
of the Chicago American Giants
Chicago American Giants
Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team, owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Foster. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball...
. Taylor elected not to sign Easter, but referred him to promoter Abe Saperstein
Abe Saperstein
Abraham M. Saperstein was an owner and coach of the Savoy Big Five, which later became the Harlem Globetrotters...
, who at that time was founding a new touring baseball team, the Cincinnati Crescents
Cincinnati Crescents
The Cincinnati Crescents were an All-Star barnstorming baseball team that played in the mid-1940s. The team later became the Seattle Steelheads. The team was managed by W. S. Welch....
. Saperstein signed Easter, and after a successful 1946 season, sold him to the 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...
.
Negro and Major Leagues
Easter was a solid contributor to the Grays in 1947, and excelled in 1948. That year, he battedBatting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.363, tied for the league lead in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, and led the league in runs batted in. He led the Grays to a victory over the Birmingham Black Barons
Birmingham Black Barons
The Birmingham Black Barons played professional baseball for Birmingham, Alabama, in the Negro Leagues from 1920 to 1960 when the Major Leagues successfully integrated...
in that year's Negro League World Series
Negro League World Series
The Negro League World Series was a post-season baseball tournament which was held from 1924-1927 and from 1942-1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east coast counterparts....
, the last ever played. His success attracted the attention of Bill Veeck
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
, owner of the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, who purchased his contract from the Grays. A knee injury in spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in 1949 cost Easter a spot on the major league roster at the start of the season. He started the year in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
; despite a mid-season operation on the knee, continued to star. He again batted .363, along with 25 home runs and 80 RBI. This performance impressed the Indians so much that they called Easter up for a brief appearance at the end of the season, and early in 1950 traded All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
Mickey Vernon
Mickey Vernon
James Barton "Mickey" Vernon was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Washington Senators for the majority of his career, as well as four other teams: the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox , Milwaukee Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates...
to open up first base
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
for him.
As a 34-year-old rookie, Easter continued his power hitting, ranking among the league leaders in home runs and RBI, and led the league in times hit by pitch
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
. He continued to produce in 1951 and 1952, finishing 13th in Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
voting in the latter year, but continuing knee and ankle problems, as well as advancing age, brought his major league career to an end. He played in only 68 ML games in 1953, spending part of the year at AAA, and finished his major league career with six games in 1954.
Easter continued to play professionally at AAA, even though the leg injuries had reduced his running speed to a limp. He played regularly for the Ottawa Athletics
Ottawa Athletics
The Ottawa Athletics were a professional minor-league baseball team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that operated from 1952-1954. The team played at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa.-History:After the 1951 season, the Ottawa Giants folded...
, Charleston Senators
Charleston Senators
The Charleston Senators were an American minor league baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They were the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston, beginning play in 1910. The team was inactive during a few periods, playing their last game in 1960....
, Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
and Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
, and won the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
's MVP award with the Bisons in 1957. He ultimately retired as a player in 1963, at the age of 48, and worked for several years thereafter as a coach. His number (36) was retired by the Rochester Red Wings and number (25) by the Buffalo Bisons.
Notable Home Runs
As a player, Easter was best known for his powerful home runs, colloquially known as "Easter Eggs". While with the Grays in 1948, he became the first player to hit a home run into the center field bleachers at New York's Polo GroundsPolo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
during game action, a section that was 475 feet from home plate. During his rookie season, he also hit the longest home run in the history of Cleveland's Municipal Stadium
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
, a 477-foot blast over the auxiliary scoreboard in right field; the only other player to match that feat was Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, who did it in 1960. Finally, during his twilight days with the Bisons, he became the first player to hit a home run over the center field scoreboard at Buffalo's home park, Offermann Stadium
Offermann Stadium
Offermann Stadium was a stadium in Buffalo, New York. It was primarily used for baseball and was the home of Buffalo Bisons of the International League. The ballpark had a capacity of 14,000 people and opened in 1924...
, doing so twice in a month in 1957.
When told by a fan one time that the fan had seen Easter's longest home run in person, Easter is reported to have replied, "If it came down, it wasn't my longest."
Post-Playing Career
While playing with the Red Wings, Easter also began to serve as a coach, and after his playing days were over he continued in this role. Future major leaguers Boog PowellBoog Powell
John Wesley Powell is a former major league first baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers...
, Curt Blefary
Curt Blefary
Curtis Le Roy Blefary was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the Baltimore Orioles , Houston Astros , New York Yankees , Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres...
, and Pete Ward
Pete Ward
Peter Thomas Ward is a retired professional baseball player who played 9 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees of Major League Baseball...
were among the players who credited Easter as a positive influence on their careers.
Murder
After his days as a coach, Easter returned to the Cleveland area and went to work for the Aircraft Workers Alliance inn 1964, eventually becoming the chief union steward for at TRWTRW
TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...
in the east side suburb of Euclid, Ohio
Euclid, Ohio
Euclid is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders Cleveland. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 48,920...
. On March 29, 1979 he was shot and killed outside a bank at East 260th Street and Euclid Avenue while transporting $5,000 from payroll checks. Police reports indicated that Easter was approached by two robbers armed with shotguns and after refusing to turn over the funds, he was shot twice at close range.
In 1980, Woodland Hills Park, in Cleveland's Mount Pleasant
Woodland Hills, Cleveland
Woodland Hills is a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. Bounded roughly by Mount Overlook Avenue on the north, Kinsman Road to the south, E.116th Street to the east and Woodhill Road to the west, it is most notable for its largest geographic feature, the 116 acre Luke Easter...
neighborhood, was renamed Luke Easter Park in memoriam.
Historical Analysis
Easter was generally well liked by teammates during his career, and most printed recollections by them refer to him as a good-natured practical joker. He owned and operated a sausage company while in Buffalo, and gave five pounds of sausage to every teammate who hit a home run. He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, with that body citing his "grace and dignity on and off the field" and his "legacy as a friend to the community, a generous soul with plenty of time for any cause." He had already become the charter member of the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame in 1989.In "The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract," baseball writer and statistician Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
rated Easter as the second-best first baseman in the history of the Negro leagues, behind only Buck Leonard
Buck Leonard
Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in along with his long-time teammate Josh Gibson.-Biography:...
. He described Easter as "an amiable, fun-loving man who gambled, wasn't 100% honest, and had a temper," with "shoulders that crossed three lanes of traffic," but also claimed that "if you could clone him and bring him back, you'd have the greatest power hitter in baseball today, if not ever."