Stuart "Slim" Jones (May 6, 1913 – November 19, 1938) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professiona ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
from
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. He played for the
Baltimore Black Sox and the
Philadelphia Stars of the
East-West League and
Negro National League from 1932 to 1938.
In 1934, Jones led the Negro National League in ERA (1.24), wins (20), and strikeouts (164) to become the first pitcher in Negro league history to achieve the pitching
Triple Crown. This achievement was matched just two more times in league history.
He was the winning pitcher in the final game of the Championship Series that clinched a pennant for the Stars.
Jones was not in the league for a long time but was very effective during his short career.
Jones was plagued by trouble with alcoholism. He won just seven games in the four seasons he played after 1934. He died in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 19, 1938. According to legend, he froze to death after selling his coat for alcohol, but in reality he died after being admitted to a Baltimore hospital.
Fourteen years after his death, Jones received votes listing him on the 1952 ''
Pittsburgh Courier
The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the mo ...
'' player-voted poll of the Negro leagues' best players ever.
["1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"](_blank)
/ref>
References
Further reading
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External links
an
Seamheads
1913 births
1938 deaths
Baltimore Black Sox players
Philadelphia Stars players
Baseball players from Baltimore
20th-century African-American sportspeople
Baseball pitchers
Deaths from hypothermia
Alcohol-related deaths in Maryland
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