C-RHP-MGR Negro Leagues 1928-50 Detroit Stars, St. Louis Stars, Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Columbus Blue Birds, New York Black Yankees, Brooklyn Eagles, Cincinnati Tigers, Memphis Red Sox, Birmingham Black Barons, Chicago American Giants, Louisville Buckeyes
Radcliffe was a star Negro League pitcher and catcher of the 1930s and 1940s. He
was nicknamed Double Duty by Damon Runyon, who saw him in the 1932 Negro League World
Series at Yankee Stadium. Radcliffe caught Satchel Paige in a 5-0 victory in the
first game of a doubleheader, then pitched a shutout in the nightcap.
The 5'9"
210-lb Radcliffe was a smart, strong-throwing catcher. On the mound he was the master
of the emery ball and other pitches of questionable legality. Statistics
available
for 8 of his 23 seasons show him hitting .273, with a top mark of .316 for the 1929
Detroit Stars. In 6 of the 21 seasons he pitched during the 1930s, he went 33-17
with seven saves. He appeared in six East-West all-star games, three as a pitcher,
three as a catcher.
Radcliffe hit .376 (11-for-29) in nine exhibition games against
major leaguers. In 1934 he managed a white team that barnstormed through Canada,
playing a major league all-star team. Radcliffe's team was 2-1 when Hall of Famer
Jimmie Foxx was beaned, and the tour canceled. Ted's brother Alex was a top Negro
League third baseman.
(JJM)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»June 29, 1950: In an effort to thwart the ML's signing of black players, Dr. J.B. Martin, the president of the Chicago Giants of the Negro American League, instructs manager, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe to sign white players. Radcliffe inks three white players, teenagers Lou Chirban, Lou Clarizio and Al Dubetts. Later in the year he will sign at least two others (Stanley Miarka and Frank Dyall). However, their Negro League careers will be brief.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
