Josh Gibson has made history in Major League Baseball by becoming the career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb's .367, after a three-year research project incorporated Negro Leagues records for over 2,300 players. Gibson's .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays now stands as the season standard, followed by Charlie 'Chino' Smith's .451 for the 1929 New York Lincoln Giants, overtaking Hugh Duffy's .440 for the National League's Boston team in 1894.
Gibson also claimed the career lead in slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177), moving ahead of Babe Ruth (.690 and 1.164). This initiative aims to ensure that future generations have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who contributed to the Negro Leagues.
MLB announced the inclusion of Negro Leagues in December 2020, recognizing the oversight and adding them to the official records. A special committee on baseball records decided to include six major leagues dating back to 1876, with the updated database set to be made public before a tribute game on June 20.
Standards for season leaders in the Negro Leagues are consistent with other leagues, requiring 3.1 plate appearances or one inning for each game played by a player's team. Notable changes include Gibson's .974 slugging percentage in 1937 becoming the season record, and Barry Bonds' records dropping to fifth in certain categories.
Additional achievements include Willie Mays gaining hits from the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, Minnie Minoso surpassing 2,000 hits, and Satchel Paige gaining 28 wins. The research project faced challenges such as compiling accurate statistics, identifying players, and documenting transactions.
While 72% of Negro Leagues records from 1920-1948 are included, ongoing research may lead to further modifications. Despite some limitations in game accounts, efforts are being made to uncover more statistics for independent teams and address missing details from certain games.
