Rookie of the Year: Joe Black, 1952

Pitcher, Brooklyn Dodgers

Age:  28

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 220

Prior to 1952:

Black, a native of Plainfield, NJ, was an outstanding all-around athlete in high school. He attended Morgan State University and played Negro League baseball with the Baltimore Elite Giants. Black was signed by the Dodgers and advanced readily through their minor league system, compiling an 11-12 record with St. Paul and Montreal in 1951, as well as playing winter ball in Cuba. With his outstanding fastball, Black earned a call-up to the Dodgers in 1952.  

1952 Season Summary

Appeared in 57 games

P – 56, PR – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 56 [2]

Games Started – 2

Complete Games – 1

Wins – 15 [6, tied with Warren Hacker & Hoyt Wilhelm]

Losses – 4

PCT - .789 [Non-qualifying]

Saves – 15 [2]

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 142.1

Hits – 102

Runs – 40

Earned Runs – 34

Home Runs – 9 

Bases on Balls – 41

Strikeouts – 85

ERA – 2.15 [Non-qualifying]

Hit Batters – 1

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 0

Midseason Snapshot: 3-0, ERA - 1.63, SV – 5, SO - 26 in 38.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 6 (in 8 IP) at NY Giants 8/5, (in 7.2 IP) at NY Giants 9/8

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 9 IP) at Boston Braves 9/21

Batting

PA – 42, AB – 36, R – 1, H – 5, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 5, BB – 0, SO – 15, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .139, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 6, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 29

Put Outs – 7

Assists – 18

Errors – 4

DP – 2

Pct. - .862

Postseason Pitching:

G – 3, GS – 3, CG – 1 (World Series vs. NY Yankees)
 Record – 1-2, PCT – .333, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 21.1, H – 15, R – 6, ER – 6, HR – 4, BB – 8, SO – 9, ERA – 2.53, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

3rd in NL MVP voting (208 points, 8 first place votes, 62% share)

NL ROY Voting:

Joe Black, Brook.: 19 of 24 votes, 79% share

Hoyt Wilhelm, NYG.: 3 votes, 13% share

Dick Groat, Pitt.: 1 vote, 4% share

Ed Mathews, BosB.: 1 vote, 4% share

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Dodgers went 96-57 to win NL pennant by 4.5 games over the New York Giants after finishing second the previous two years. The pitching staff led the NL in strikeouts (773). Lost World Series to New York Yankees, 4 games to 3. Black started three games, including the opener, a 4-2 win that made him the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game. 

Aftermath of '52:

Black was unable to sustain his first-year success with the Dodgers. Once again used almost exclusively as a reliever in 1953, he appeared in 34 games and compiled a 6-3 record with 5 saves and a 5.33 ERA. Black appeared in only five games with Brooklyn in 1954 and had an 11.57 ERA when he was demoted to Class AAA Montreal and, utilized primarily as a starter, had a 12-10 record and 3.60 ERA.  He returned to the Brooklyn bullpen in 1955 and was traded to Cincinnati in June, where he compiled a 5-2 record with a 4.22 ERA while appearing in 32 games, 11 of them starts.  He worked out of the bullpen for the Reds in ’56 with unimpressive results and finished his major league career with the Washington Senators in 1957. Overall in the major leagues, Black had a 30-12 record and 3.91 ERA with 25 saves. He was 22-7 with a 3.45 ERA and 20 saves in 101 games for the Dodgers. Following his playing career, he obtained his master’s degree and became a teacher and also was an executive with the Greyhound Corporation. Black was also active in the civil rights movement and worked for the Baseball Assistance Team providing help to former major league personnel in need. He also served as a consultant to major league baseball and was involved in community relations for the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to his death in 2002.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.