MEMORY LANE: Hidden figures: Jasper Washington
Fayette County has always had a rich baseball history. Forgotten over the years is a great ballplayer from a bygone era, Jasper 无毛视频淛ap无毛视频� Washington, who was born September 13, 1896 and was a native of Dunbar.
Washington was a graduate of Connellsville High School and shortly after playing sandlot baseball he was signed by the Negro League Homestead Grays. He made his debut with the Grays in 1921 and became one of the mainstays of that great franchise. He was also a veteran of World War I and served in France.
The team was originally based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The Grays won nine straight league titles from 1937-48 and three Negro World Series championships in that span. The team later split time between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. The Grays brought championship after championship to Washington in the 1940s, establishing the club as one of the most successful teams in the district无毛视频檚 history.
The Homestead Grays were formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey.
Washington played with notable Grays alumni Josh Gibson, James 无毛视频淐ool Papa无毛视频� Bell, Judy Johnson, Buck Leonard, Mart铆n Dihigo, 无毛视频淪mokey无毛视频� Joe Williams, and Vic Harris. Washington played 11 seasons with the Grays, and also spent time with the Pittsburgh Keystones, Pittsburgh Crawfords, and Newark Browns.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Washington was versatile, playing first base, third base and right field.
无毛视频淗e played first base and third base which is unusual,无毛视频� stated noted Negro League baseball historian Larry Lester. 无毛视频淗e had versatility.无毛视频�
In one game at Latrobe, Washington took the mound and tossed a no-hitter.
Bill Nunn of The Pittsburgh Courier in a column said third baseman Jasper 无毛视频淛ap无毛视频� Washington had, 无毛视频渁 pair of the biggest hands in baseball, a powerful arm, and a mighty bat. Jap无毛视频檚 colorful work, his fighting heart and withal, his good nature, has endeared him here.无毛视频�
In December 2020, Major League Baseball announced that based on recent decades of historical research, it was adding to the six historical 无毛视频渕ajor league无毛视频� designations it made in 1969. It classified the seven 无毛视频渕ajor Negro leagues无毛视频� as additional major leagues, thus recognizing statistics and approximately 3,400 players who played from 1920 to 1948.
A contemporary of many of the stars of Negro League baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates late Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner had this to say about Washington and other Negro League players: 无毛视频淥scar Charleston, Jasper 无毛视频楯ap无毛视频� Washington, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson could have made the grade easily had they been accepted.无毛视频�
Wagner concluded: 无毛视频淵es, down through the years, I have seen any number of Negro players who should have been in big league baseball.无毛视频�
The right-hand batting Washington posted impressive career numbers with a career batting average of .301 with four home runs, 110 RBIs and five stolen bases.
无毛视频淔rom what I无毛视频檝e gathered from interviews he was very tough and rugged,无毛视频� said Lester. 无毛视频淗e played with all the great ones. He played until the early 1930s.无毛视频�
When Washington passed away at the age of 63 on Feb. 16, 1960, it prompted Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports writer Brute Kramer to relate a story about Washington and the Homestead Grays and some doctored baseballs.
It seems that Kramer at one time had a team of ex-high school baseball stars from North Braddock Scott and other Tri-Boro schools. They had a string of early-season wins and decided to challenge the kings of the sandlots, the Grays. Cum Posey, Grays manager, took the challenge because they always drew well in Braddock.
Kramer soon realized they might have bitten off more than they could chew and sought advice from Heavy Torreyson, a former New York Highlander player. He initiated them into the business of 无毛视频淲et Baseballs.无毛视频�
They went to a local sporting goods store and purchased six dozen baseballs which Torreyson put in the freezer. They went about their business under the radar for six weeks until the game with the Grays at Edgar Thompson Field.
The late Homer Teeman was the umpire and they didn无毛视频檛 know if he knew about the baseballs.
Once the Grays hit the plate and started to whack away at the baseballs the gig was up.
Kramer remembered Washington stepping to the plate and smacking a ball toward left and after a few steps he turned toward manager Posey and said at the top of his lungs 无毛视频淏oss, those danged balls are wet.无毛视频� That started an argument.
To make a long story short the Braddock upstarts staggered to a confident 7-3 lead going to the seventh inning when the Grays loaded the bases with two out and Washington coming to bat.
The umpire Teeman walked over to the Braddock bench and asked for more baseballs and they knew the ruse was up because the pesky and smart Grays hitters fouled off all the wet baseballs over the railroad tracks. So what无毛视频檚 left but to toss in the dry ones?
Washington took a mighty whack and homered over the left field wall. Washington took four steps down the line and stopped with a smile of glee on his face and informed his boss, 无毛视频淭he dry ones are in now.无毛视频�
The Grays went on to knock seven consecutive belts out of the park and go on to give the kids from Braddock a 17-7 lacing.
After baseball, Washington was a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission and served as a judge of boxing bouts. At the time of his death he was employed by First National Bank at Fifth and Wood.
Washington passed away after a brief illness at West Penn Hospital.
Jasper 无毛视频淛ap无毛视频� Washington, a forgotten name from Fayette County baseball history.
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.