There’s huge news in the world of Major League Baseball, and it’s going to change some previously held records.
Per USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale: “All the former Negro League players, will have their statistics officially incorporated into Major League Baseball’s historical records, according to a person familiar with the announcement.”
This is awesome and of course well deserved. After a committee reviewed all the stats and figured out which ones should be official and which came from exhibition games, they’ll now go into the record books.
Here are a few noteworthy records that will now change because of this statistical recognition:
1. Josh Gibson is the new career batting average leader over Ty Cobb
Cobb hit .366 in his career, while Gibson will slot in ahead of him with a .372.
2. Gibson will also move ahead of Babe Ruth
His slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177) in his career will eclipse Ruth’s.
3. Another Gibson record!
His .466 (!) batting average in 1943 will be the best ever.
4. Good news for Willie Mays and Minnie Minoso
Mays gets 10 more hits from his 1948 season in Birmingham with the Black Barons, giving him 3,293. And Minoso is now a member of the 2,000-hit club with 2,113.
5. Satchel Paige is now a 100-win pitcher
He gets 28 victories for 125 in his career.
