The MLB stats database and some major records are about to change — as the majors will now incorporate stats from the Negro Leagues, beginning Wednesday, in a landmark decision.
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The news was first reported by legendary baseball writer Bob Nightengale of USA Today. And yes, things will indeed change.
The addition of the 2,300 players who played in seven different leagues from 1920-48 into MLB's database and record books means that Hall of Fame catcher Josh Gibson will become MLB's single-season record holder in a number of different categories," wrote Christian Arnold of the New York Post.
"Gibson will surpass Ty Cobb as the all-time career leader in batting average (.372) and move ahead of Babe Ruth for slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177)."
Gibson spent all 14 years of his pro career in the Negro Leagues.
"We are proud that the official historical record now includes the players of the Negro Leagues," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told Yahoo Sports in a statement. "This initiative is focused on ensuring that future generations of fans have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who made the Negro Leagues possible. Their accomplishments on the field will be a gateway to broader learning about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson's 1947 Dodger debut."
"We looked for historians, statisticians, and stakeholders who all could be expected to have concern that MLB would get the process and the product right," John Thorn, MLB's official historian and chairman of the Negro Leagues statistical review committee, told Yahoo Sports. "We were not looking for 'like minds' but instead potentially contentious ones."
And now, Gibson will be known as an all-time great — not just a great who played somewhere other than the MLB.
"When you hear Josh Gibson's name now, it's not just that he was the greatest player in the Negro Leagues,'' Sean Gibson, Gibson's great grandson, told Nightengale, "but one of the greatest of all time. These aren't just Negro League stats. They're major-league baseball stats.
"This means so much for not only the Josh Gibson family, but representing the 2,300 men in the Negro Leagues who didn't get the opportunity to play [in the Major Leagues].''
