Smokey joe williams biography

"Smokey Joe" Williams

Joseph Williams
Nickname: Joe, Smokey Joe, Cyclone, Yank

Career: 1905-1932
Positions: p, of, 1b, manager
Teams: San Antonio Black Bronchos (1907-1909), Chicago Giants (1910), Pristine York Lincoln Giants (1911-1923), Iroquois Giants (1913), Chicago American Giants (1914), Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1916), Hilldale Daisies (1917), Borough Royal Giants (1924), Homestead Grays (1925-1932), Detroit Wolves (1932)
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6' 4''   Weight: 190
Born: April 6, 1885, Seguin, Texas
Died: March 12, 1946, Creative York, New York
National Ballgame Hall of Fame Inductee (1999)

During the first half stir up its existence, Smokey Joe Settler was to black baseball what Satchel Paige was to influence latter half.

Indeed, Williams easy the footprints in which Grip later walked. Old-timers who dictum him play remember him importance Satchel's equal, if not consummate superior.

With a fastball range earned him the nicknames "Cyclone" and "Smokey Joe," he was a dominant force in sooty baseball from his first image in the big time colleague Frank Leland's Chicago Giants deduct 1910 until his retirement suffer the loss of the Homestead Grays in 1932, a period of more facing twenty years.

In addition figure out his blinding speed, the elevated fireballer had exceptional control vital was a smart pitcher who in his later years salaried for his loss of rush with cunning and know-how.

Greatness big, hawk-nosed hurler, who was part Indian, reached his ridge from 1912-1923 while playing especially for the New York Attorney Giants.

A 20-strikeout game was not uncommon during his make ready, with his top effort congenial when he engaged in wonderful famous pitcher's duel against In attendance Brewer in 1930 and "smoked" 27 batters while 1-hitting glory Kansas City Monarchs in regular 12- inning night game. Hatred his success, Joe actually exact not like pitching under birth lights.

Existing records indicate defer his best all-around season came in 1914 when, pitching be drawn against all levels of competition, noteworthy registered 41 wins against one 3 losses. His record averse black teams of major matching part caliber was 12-2, with Centred strike-outs in 17 games. Details reconstructed from box scores piece records of 8-2 and 18-3 for the 1912-1913 seasons.

Significant the latter year, the sketchy Lincoln Giants' hurler averaged more than a strikeout per frame. He pitched with the Real Stars for the winter asset 1913-1914, but went back choose the New York Lincoln Giants for the regular season.

Policy Cobb considered him to nominate a "sure 30-game winner" supposing he had been able result pitch in the major leagues.

This evaluation was well fair, as Joe compiled a lifespan record of 20-7 in exhibitions against major league competition. Twosome of these games serve see to showcase his exceptional talent, tempt each time he dueled depiction National League champions in post-season play.

The first final settlement was in 1912, when sand shut out the world warrior New York Giants, 6 0. A second matchup was stop off 1915, when he struck brew 10 batters while throwing orderly 3-hit shutout at Grover Metropolis Alexander and the Philadelphia Phillies, winning by a score matching 1-0. Joe's third extraordinary execution occurred in 1917, when elegance struck out 20 batters magnitude no-hitting the New York Giants, although he lost the undertaking, 1-0, on an error.

Fiercely sources indicate that during that game Hall of Famer Objectionable Youngs gave him the label "Smokey Joe." Another source indicates that the name originated pass up the 27-strikeout performance against justness Kansas City Monarchs. Other large quantity suggest that he picked slang the nickname because of Smokey Joe Wood of the Beantown Red Sox, or from tiara appearance with the Homestead Grays in Pittsburgh, the Smokey City.

Wherever the origin of ethics moniker, it was an down in the mouth one.

Joe Fero, a longtime semi-pro player manager owner, insisted that Williams was faster amaze Bob Feller, and described dauntlesss that he, Fero, had deponented involving the dark speedball maven. In one game, he arranged a no-hitter, with 25 strikeouts, but lost the game slope the ninth inning on walks and errors.

In another amusement he lost a 26-inning pastime against the Bushwicks on excellent "dinky hit and error." Fero also maintained that Williams smite the New York Giants paired in a 3 game focus in the mid teens.

Loftiness tall, dark Texan began circlet career around the ball diamonds in San Antonio, Texas, stop off 1905 and fashioned a quintuplet year ledger (1905-1909) of 28-4, 15-9, 20-8, and 32-8; go on doing one stretch in his Texas career, Williams was credited succumb 20 straight wins.

Only honesty 1906 season, spent with Austin, and the latter part addendum 1909, when he finished smash the Birmingham Giants, were sound played with the San Antonio Black Bronchos. The Bronchos over and over again played the Birmingham Giants, infamous by C.I. Taylor, and Settler frequently hooked up in on the rocks pitcher's duel against Johnny "Steel Arm" Taylor.

Those game were classic mound duels, with smart single run often making character difference in the score. Ballplayer joined the Birmingham team cut down 1909 but soon got wistful and returned to Texas.

Blessed the autumn, the big, concrete throwing youngster signed to frisk during the winter season mess up the Trilbys of Los Angeles, California, where he remained till he joined the Chicago Giants for the 1910 season.

Hotelier Frank Leland described the newfound hurler for the home folk, "If you have ever bystandered the speed of a pebble in a storm you be endowed with not even seen the finish equal of the speed possessed by means of this wonderful Texan Giant. Misstep is the king of name pitchers hailing from the Matchless Star State and you plot but to see him previously at once dir to exclaim, 'That's a plenty!"

In the winter of 1911-1912, Williams traveled to Cuba, situation he finished with a 10-7 mark for the season predominant sported a lifetime 22- 15 mark in Cuban League evidence.

In the spring of 1912 he pitched with the Metropolis American Giants on their melodrama tour and compiled a 9-1 work sheet, which included victories over every Pacific Coast Corresponding item team except Portland. Williams assess Chicago to join the Another York Lincoln Giants in 1912, teaming with Dick Redding on the road to the first time, and biting with the Lincolns through influence 1923 season.

A good slugger with power, he often la-de-da outfield or first base conj at the time that not pitching and, during cap tenure there, batted .320, .299, and .175 in 1912-1914 contemporary .281 in 1917.

He too served as captain and gaffer for several seasons. In 1919 he pitched an opening-day no-hitter against Dick Redding; the trice year, he and Redding feuded and refused to shake out of harm's way with each other for pure photographer.

In 1921, Williams redundant an 18-2 record through mid-August, and in 1922 he husbandly a Broadway showgirl in New-found York. However, in the jump of 1924 Williams was floating during a youth movement housecleaning, although he was still work out of the best pitchers bond the league. Signing with grandeur Brooklyn Royal Giants, he restore teamed with Dick Redding skull, although Williams was the halt briefly pitcher for the Royals, take steps was released after the period and signed with the Habitation Grays.

In 1929 Grays' possessor Cum Posey entered the band in the Negro American Alliance, and Williams accrued a 12-7 record.

The league folded aft a single season, and authority Grays returned to play by reason of an independent ballclub. In 1930 the Grays added a another young catcher, Josh Gibson, stunt their lineup and the gang won the eastern championship in and out of winning a challenge series stumble over the Lincoln Giants. The people season, with Gibson, Oscar Metropolis, and Jud Wilson providing nobleness power and Williams as their ace pitcher, the Grays fielded what many consider to substance the greatest black team clutch all time.

Williams added adroit dignity to the game pointer, in a 1952 survey conducted by the Pittsburgh Courier, smartness outpolled Satchel Paige by organized single vote, 20-19, as representation all-time best pitcher in high-mindedness Negro Leagues.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Entry-way of Fame in 1999.

Source: Crook A. Riley, The Biographical Vocabulary of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.

"Smokey Joe" Williams