It was just a treat to be around him. He was one of the first black players to be signed, as Jackie Robinson had only broken the MLB color line in 1947. [11][12] Irvin hit .329 with 21 home runs and 97 RBI in 1953, finishing 15th in the league MVP voting. Monte Irvin is born on February 10, 1919, at Haleburg, Alabama. [33] The first results from this study were the statistics for Negro league Hall of Famers elected prior to 2006, which were published in Shades of Glory by Lawrence D. Hogan. View Monte Irvin's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). (Note: I included players elected for their play in the Negro Leagues, using their active years as listed on Seamheads.com. Calvin Coolidge Irvin (November 28, 1924 – November 25, 2017) was an American Negro league shortstop and college basketball coach.. A native of Haleburg, Alabama, Irvin was the brother of Baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin.Younger brother Cal attended Orange High School and Morgan State University, where he played basketball and football. In an earlier article, I profiled Josh Gibson, the iconic Negro League catcher, and one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was selected a Negro League … Luke Easter lands at 97, counting 11 Negro League roundtrippers, and Jackie Robinson lands at 96, counting 4 taters from his days as a Monarch. He spent the winter of 1948–49 in Cuba. 4, on July 4, 1939, the day of his famous “luckiest man on the face of this earth” speech. [2], Irvin attended Lincoln University and was a star football player. List of Negro league baseball players (A–D) List of Negro league baseball players (E–L) List of Negro league baseball players (M–R) List of Negro league baseball players (S–Z) In 1949 and 1950, he played for the Jersey City Giants , in 1951 for the Drummondville Cubs , 1952 and 1953 for the Phoenix Senators , and 1954 for the El Paso Texans . Smith and Baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin signed with the New York Giants on the same day in 1949, and Smith spent the next several years playing in the minor leagues. "'That Boy's So Full of Play'; Two close friends of Willie Mays talk about frisky personality of newly legendary Giant". While doing some research about his early years I found his high school yearbook. He grew up in New Jersey and was a standout football player at Lincoln University. Monte Irvin , Willie Mays, and Hank Thompson hold bats on their shoulders in Yankee Stadium. This website is a wonderful and much-needed asset for those of us who are students of Negro League Baseball research. [13] The Giants went on to win the Series in four games, with Irvin collecting two hits in nine at bats. 555 N. Central Ave. #416 Irvin left Lincoln to spend several seasons in Negro league baseball. Monford Merrill Irvin (Mr. For Negro Leaguers who played in MLB, such as Satchel Paige and Monte Irvin, their MLB years are included as well.) "It was a horrible thing to see," reported Mays. Most baseball fans know that the first baseball number retired was Lou Gehrig's No. He grew up in New Jersey and was a standout football player at Lincoln University. Irvin earned MVP honors in the 1945–46 Puerto Rican Winter League. View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject. Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1950 season Full Name: Monford Merrill Irvin Nicknames: Mr. He sustained the injury during spring training that year and only appeared in four minor league games for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. [14], In 1955, Irvin had been sent down to the minor leagues, where he hit 14 home runs in 75 games for the Minneapolis Millers. [23], On May 16, 2006, Orange Park in the city of Orange, New Jersey was renamed Monte Irvin Park, in his honor. He still was among the top players in the Negro Leagues, but younger players like Monte Irvin and Larry Doby, both of whom would play in the majors, had overtaken Gibson as the best players. As a child, he moved with his family to Orange, New Jersey. Monte Irvin - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies 00:39. Irvin said that while many black soldiers had been treated badly by their white counterparts, the situation improved for black soldiers as many white soldiers realized the contradiction in an oppressed group being sent to Europe to fight for the oppressed people in other countries. This clipping from the Trenton Evening Times says that "One of the newcomers is Monte Irvin, former Orange High School and Lincoln University athlete." Join Facebook to connect with Monte Irvin and others you may know. The following season, he hit .262 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI,[12] with the Giants winning the pennant and facing the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series. Larry Doby and Monte Irvin, to take the two best comps I can think of, saw their OPS+’s decline by 35 to 40 points. By the end of the 1952 season, Monte Irvin had 43 National League homers and (per Seamheads) 61 Negro League homers for a total of 104. After World War II, Irvin was approached by Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey about being signed for the major leagues, but Irvin felt he was not ready to play at that level so soon after leaving the service. There are also two players who come very close. He returned to the Newark Eagles in 1946 to lead his team to a league pennant. Monte Irvin was not the first African-American player in the modern major leagues, but of all the talented players who made the perilous trip from the Negro Leagues to the big leagues in the late 1940s, Irvin may have been the best. As a child, he moved with his family to Orange, New Jersey, one of five players who grew up in the Garden State to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Irvin's baseball career concluded in … When he did face Major League teams (in exhibition settings, of course), Charleston performed extraordinarily well. Other top-tier Negro leagues players saw their stat lines diminish when they went to the Majors. That position probably delayed my entry into the major leagues ... Mrs. Manley told Rickey that he had taken Don Newcombe for no money but she wasn't going to let him take me without some compensation. As his frustration mounted, Irvin began to be recruited by Negro league baseball teams. Larry Doby, the first player to break the color barrier in the American League, was Irvin's double play partner with Newark at one time. [15] Irvin appeared in 111 games for the Cubs that year, hitting .271 with 15 home runs. During that season, Giants manager Leo Durocher asked Irvin to serve as a mentor for Mays, who had been called up to the team in May. In 1951, Irvin sparked the Giants' miraculous comeback to overtake the Dodgers in the pennant race, batting .312 with 24 homers and a league-best 121 runs batted in (RBI), en route to the World Series (he went 11–24 for .458). Joining the army's GS Engineers, 1313th Battalion, for the next three years, Irvin was deployed to England, France and Belgium, and he served in the Battle of the Bulge. The only high-level league that was integrated, LMB featured all-time greats like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Martin Dihigo, Cool Papa Bell, and Monte Irvin. Said Irvin, ... from a purely business standpoint, Mrs. Manley felt that Branch Rickey was obligated to compensate her for my contract. Monte Irvin of the Negro Leagues. Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, List of first black Major League Baseball players, List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball, List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders, "Monte Irvin, Hall of Fame baseball star who began in Negro leagues, dies at 96", Hall of Famer, trailblazer Irvin dies at 96, "Irvin played big part in Mays' ascension", "Bums, to a man, regret injury to Monte Irvin", "Angered Aaron snubs Kuhn at award ceremony", "Giants to retire uniform #20 worn by Monte Irvin", "Giants greats, sans Mays, take part in pregame", "Monte Irvin, 96, gets his Giants ring from Larry Baer, Bobby Evans", "Giants visit White House for World Series celebration", "Hall of Famer Irvin laments diminishing number of African-Americans in baseball", "The #SFGiants will wear patches on their sleeve in honor of @BaseballHall of Famer Monte Irvin and Jim Davenport", "Essex County Dedicates Monte Irvin Statue in (Monte Irvin) Orange Park", "Irvin's Injury Dims Giant Hopes; Star Breaks Ankle, May Be Sidelined for Rest of Season", "Ankle Injured, Monte Irvin Has Plentitude Of Troubles But Still Hopes For Batting Crown", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monte_Irvin&oldid=1023132462, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. After retiring, Irvin worked as a representative for the Rheingold beer company,[18] and later as a scout for the New York Mets from 1967 to 1968. After playing for the Newark Eagles for more than 9 seasons (and serving nearly 3 years in the Army), on July 8, 1949, Irvin became one of the first African American players to play for the New York Giants (along with Hank Thompson), after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. . For too long, the contributions that African American players achieved in Puerto Rico were slighted by baseball historians. Irvin's military service left him with ringing in the ears, which affected his coordination.[6]. Career statistics and player information from, Negro league baseball statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 14 May 2021, at 15:17. [19] He was elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. [22] He retired to Homosassa, Florida, but he accepted an MLB role involving special projects and appearances. By the end of the 1952 season, Monte Irvin had 43 National League homers and (per Seamheads) 61 Negro League homers for a total of 104. Irvin was in left field when Mays, playing center field, made "The Catch" on a deep drive off the bat of Vic Wertz in Game 1. Monte Irvin was one of the top all-around athletes of his era. He was a great ball player and will be missed. [31], On October 19, 2016, a life-sized bronze statue of Irvin was dedicated in Monte Irvin Park in Orange, New Jersey.[32]. Mays later said, "In my time, when I was coming up, you had to have some kind of guidance. Monford Merrill "Monte" Irvin (February 25, 1919 – January 11, 2016) was an American left fielder and right fielder in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who played with the Newark Eagles (1938–1942, 1946–1948), New York Giants (1949–1955) and Chicago Cubs (1956). [21], Irvin stepped down from his role with the commissioner when Kuhn announced his retirement in 1984. 2. From SABR member Mark Aubrey at Baseball Nuggets on January 13, 2016: Monte Irvin slipped from this earth this week. Because Baseball-Reference, Seamheads, and even the SABR BioProject entry for Monte Irvin have that info. [26] In 2015, he was presented a 2014 World Series ring by Giants executives and later joined the Giants in visiting the White House. Baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin discusses his early baseball career in The Negro Leagues. In high school, he starred in four sports and set a state record in the javelin throw. When he joined the New York Giants, Irvin became one of the earliest African-American MLB players. I had it in my head and that's what I wrote. I didn't understand life in New York until I met Monte. He appeared in only 46 games that season, hitting .310 with four home runs and 21 RBI. [25] He later joined those same Giants Hall of Famers in throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of Game 1 of 2010 World Series. Irvin left Lincoln to spend several seasons in Negro league baseball. Josh Gibson’s two HR in the second League All-Star Game for the Northeast team of Caguas, Humacao, Santurce and San Juan players, propelled them to an 8-3 win, and a sweep, on January 1, 1942. Irwin ’ s first exposure to the game of baseball came on Saturday afternoons when men came from neighboring towns to play with homemade bats and balls and then picnic after the game. Monte Irvin. These statistics include the official Negro league statistics for Monte Irvin: Justice, Richard; Haft, Chris (January 12, 2016). Monte Irvin played for the New York Giants from 1949 -1956. Career: 1928, … The above was compiled using various sources including the Negro Leagues Database at seamheads.com after consultation with John Thorn, the Official Historian for MLB, and other Negro Leagues experts. [12], Monte appeared on an episode of To Tell The Truth dated May 22, 1961, in which he impersonated a judo champion.[17]. There is no official record of Negro Leagues Baseball statistics. He went on to a Hall of Fame career as a pioneering African American player in the major leagues. Montford Merrill Irvin was born in Haleburg, Alabama, on February 25, 1919. Prior to his death, he lived in a retirement community in Houston. The team said that he would compete with Hank Sauer for a starting position in left field. However, he had disagreements with his coach and he found that he could not remain on his athletic scholarship and pursue predentistry studies. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. He was a five-time Negro League All-Star (1941, 1946–1948, including two games in 1946). Phone: 602.496.1460 But I was wrong. Even as late as 1980, Aaron was so angry at Kuhn that he did not attend an event where Kuhn was to present him with an award. [2], Irvin played for the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League in 1938. The expert baseball historians over at Seamheads have meticulously combed records and added … [16] In his major league career, Irvin batted .293, with 99 home runs, 443 RBI, 366 runs scored, 731 hits, 97 doubles, 31 triples, and 28 stolen bases, with 351 walks for a .383 on-base percentage, and 1187 total bases for a .475 slugging average in 764 games played. The Chicago Cubs signed him before the 1956 season. The result was "the Willie Mays of his day," as fellow great Monte Irvin called Charleston, quite possibly the best all-around player in Negro Leagues history. He was named an MLB public relations specialist for the commissioner's office under Bowie Kuhn in 1968. The baseball world mourns the passing of Monte Irvin on Monday. [27][28], On January 11, 2016, Irvin died of natural causes in Houston at the age of 96. He knew everything about what was going on and he protected me dearly. Irvin played baseball for the Orange Triangles, the local semiprofessional team, and he credited its coach with giving him an activity that helped him to stay out of trouble. In the third game of the playoff between the Giants and Dodgers, Irvin popped out in the bottom of the ninth inning before Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard 'Round the World. Yes, there are only 27 … Any player/Any era: Monte Irvin. Wells’s 17 doubles tied him for second-best, with four others, behind Monte Irvin’s 18 two-baggers. Monford Merrill "Monte" Irvin (February 25, 1919 – January 11, 2016) was an American left fielder and right fielder in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who played with the Newark Eagles (1938–1942, 1946–1948), New York Giants (1949–1955) and Chicago Cubs (1956). View Monte Irvin's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). [10] However, Irvin returned in time to be named to his only Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1952. In 1949, Irvin went to the Majors as a member of the New York Giants. The above was compiled using various sources including the Negro Leagues Database at seamheads.com after consultation with John Thorn, the Official Historian for MLB, and other Negro Leagues experts. In 1949, the New York Giants paid $5,000 for Irvin's contract. The Seamheads Negro Leagues Database proves that documentation exists to more seamlessly incorporate the Seven Negro Leagues stats into the same record books as the segregated white leagues and the integrated majors ... Monte Irvin, Roy Campanella, and Satchel Paige come to mind. He debuted with the Giants on July 8, 1949, as a pinch hitter. He played in two World Series for the Giants. When future Hall of Famer Willie Mays joined the Giants in 1951, Irvin was asked to mentor him. Irvin was born February 25, 1919,[1] in Haleburg, Alabama, the eighth of 13 children, and brother of fellow Negro leaguer Cal Irvin. [12], A back injury led to Irvin's retirement as a player in 1957. Smokey Joe Williams of the Negro Leagues. There is no official record of Negro Leagues Baseball statistics. If you have any questions regarding Negro Leagues statistical or biographical data, please contact gary@seamheads.com.. All biographical data, copyright 2011-2018 Gary Ashwill. Irvin adjusted his name again when he was a professional baseball player, changing Monty to Monte because it was easier to sign. Larry Doby and Monte Irvin, to take the two best comps I can think of, saw their OPS+’s decline by 35 to 40 points. "[9], Irvin suffered a broken ankle during a spring training game in Denver in 1952, jamming his ankle on third base while sliding. The Giants wore a patch in his memory for the 2016 season, a black circle with an orange outline with "Monte" on top of his number 20, to be worn on the left sleeve. Contact SABR, 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, http://sabr.org/sites/default/files/images/MonteIrvin-1951.png, /wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sabr_logo.png, The Newark Eagles Take Flight: The Story of the 1946 Negro League Champions”, “The Team That Time Won’t Forget: The 1951 New York Giants”. 1951 New York Giants, Cronkite School at ASU The Eagles won the Negro World Series in 1946, and included future Hall of Famers, Ray Dandridge, Leon Day, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Biz Mackey, Mule Suttles, and Willie Wells. That year Irvin teamed with Hank Thompson and Willie Mays to form the first all-black outfield in the majors. In 1974, Kuhn was present in Cincinnati when Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs. His family moves north to New Jersey, where Monte attends and plays ball for East Orange High School, where he concurrently plays semi-pro ball with a negro team named the Smart Set at Hinchliffe Stadium in Patterson, N.J. What he did: Irvin came up Sunday night during Baseball by the Bay, a podcast I do for Seamheads.com with fellow Society for American Baseball Research member Paul Hirsch. According to the Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Baseball Database, Irvin played in 353 games with 61 homers, 338 RBIs and a .347 batting average. [3] After hitting for high batting averages of .422 and .396 (1940–41), Irvin asked for a raise before the 1942 season. A pioneering African American player in 1957, 1946–1948, including two games in 1946 to lead his team a... 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School days January 14, 2016: monte irvin seamheads Irvin of the earliest African-American players... ( Note: I included players elected for their play in the Negro National in! A purely business standpoint, Mrs. Manley felt that Branch Rickey was obligated monte irvin seamheads her! On January 13, 2016: Monte Irvin have that info 6 ] his.... Member Mark aubrey at baseball Nuggets on January 13, 2016: Monte Irvin 's at!
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