Fleet Walker Position: Catcher Bats: Right • Throws: Right 159lb (72kg) Born: October 7, 1856 in Mount Pleasant, OH Died: May 11, 1924 in Cleveland, OH Buried: Union Cemetery, Steubenville, OH Schools: Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH), University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) Debut: May 1, 1884 (745th in major league history) Last Game: September 4, 1884 Full Name: Moses Fleetwood Walker View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen View Player Bio from the SABR…
“When Moses Fleetwood Walker walked onto a field in Toledo, he did more than play a game. He was more than just an athlete. He did more than throw, catch, or hit. That day and every day he played he started a conversation.” – CRAIG BROWN, an adjunct professor at Kent State University. By a vote of 93-1, the Ohio House passes Bill 59, setting aside October 7 each year in honor of Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first-openly African American to play under contract in the major leagues. In 1884, the bare-handed backstop caught for the American Association’s Toledo Blue Stockings, until a rib injury and the team’s excessive payroll led to his release late in the season.
On May 11, 1924 — Moses Fleetwood Walker, credited as the first black to play professional baseball at the major league level, dies in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 67. Walker made his historic debut in 1884, when he played in 42 games for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@ Other Resources & Links…
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