1999 – Players Orlando Cepeda and Smokey Joe Williams, manager Frank Selee, and umpire Nestor Chylak are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
1951 – Smokey Joe Williams dies in New York City at age 62. Williams has been considered by many historians to be one of the game’s greatest pitchers, even though he never played a game in the major leagues. He spent his entire 27-year career (1905-1932) pitching in the Negro Leagues, Mexico and the Caribbean, but his path to the majors was barred by the color line. During his stellar career, he defeated five Hall of Fame pitchers in exhibition competition: Grover Alexander, Chief Bender, Waite Hoyt, Walter Johnson and Rube Marquard. In 1999, after extensive research on the early years of black baseball reveal his outstanding numbers, Williams will gain Hall of Fame honors himself.
On March 12, 1946, Negro Leagues pitching star and future Hall of Famer “Smokey” Joe Williams dies in New York City at the age of 69. According to some sources, Williams won 41 games in 1914. Williams will win election to the Hall of Fame in 1999. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@ Other Resources & Links…
Homestead Grays ace Smokey Joe Williams fashions a 2-hit‚ 6 – 2 win over the St. Louis Stars in the Negro National League Championship Series. The Grays will win in 6 games.
Smoky Joe Williams of the Homestead Grays strikes out 27 Kansas City Monarchs in a memorable 12-inning night game
Smokey Joe Williams Essentials Position: PitcherBats: Right • Throws: Right6-3, 190lb (190cm, 86kg)Born: April 6, 1886 in Seguin, TX usDied: February 25, 1951 in New York, NYBuried: Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Suitland, MDDebut: 1923 (5,541st in major league history)Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1999. (Voted by Veteran’s Committee)View Joe Williams’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).Full Name: Joseph WilliamsNicknames: Smokey Joe or CycloneView Player Info from the B-R Bullpen Nine Players Who Debuted in 1923…