About
Former pitcher that played for the Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal Expos during his 14-year career. He was a two-time all-star and the first African American pitcher to win a World Series game while playing for an American League team.
Before Fame
He made his MLB debut on April 17, 1958 as a member of the Cleveland Indians organization. He was still a teenager when he officially signed with Cleveland.
Trivia
During Game six of the 1965 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he hit a home run which would turn out to be his only hit that season. Along with his prolific pitching career, he was also was known for his secondary career singing and dancing at nightspots.
Family Life
He was a native of Lacoochee, Florida, where he grew up as one of seven siblings. His father worked in a lumber mill, however he unfortunately died of lung disease when he was a child forcing his mother, Viola, to work at a citrus canning plant in hopes of providing for the family.
Associated With
In 2007, he released a book titled "The Black Aces, Baseball's Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners" which feature iconic African American players, including Vida Blue, Bob Gibson, Dwight Gooden, David Price, CC Sabathia, Dontrelle Willis and more.
