Josh Gibson died in January 1947, a little more than three months before Jackie Robinson broke professional baseball's so-called "color barrier."
Despite never playing a single inning in the two leagues that comprise Major League Baseball (MLB), Gibson is now officially recognized as the player with the best career batting average in MLB history: He hit .372 during his years in the Negro Leagues, a few points higher than Ty Cobb's career average of .367, the previously recognized top mark.
