Forgotten Heroes:

Jesse “Nip” Winters

by

Center for Negro League Baseball Research

Dr. Layton Revel

and

Luis Munoz Copyright 2014

Ace of the Hilldale Pitching Staff

Jesse “Nip” Winters was the ace of the pitching staff for Ed Bolden’s Hilldale team. Winters was without question the best pitcher in the East and the best pitcher in the Eastern Colored League during the 1920’s. With both excellent hitting and outstanding pitching Hilldale won the Eastern Colored League championship three straight years from 1923-1925.

Hilldale (1923) Eastern Colored League Champions

(Left to right – John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, Merven “Red” Ryan, Willis “Pud” Flournoy, Clint Thomas, Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, Jake Stephens, Jesse “Nip” Winters, Ed Bolden, Judy Johnson, George Carr,

Frank Warfield, Toussaint “Tom” Allen, Holsey “Scrip” Lee and Louis Santop)

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James Henry Winters, Jr. was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. During his professional baseball career, he was referred to as either “Jesse” or “Nip.” Jesse Winters stood six feet five inches tall and weighed approximately 220 pounds during his career. He was a left handed pitcher who was also a very good switch hitter. During the Eastern Colored League’s short history of five and half years from 1923 to 1928, he was the top pitcher in the “league.” Winters best pitch was his fast ball but unfortunately for him, he couldn’t always control it. The tall left handed pitcher who towered over most hitters also had a devastating curve ball. The combination of both pitches (fast ball and curve ball) made him extremely effective during his prime. His pitches were said to have broken down and in on right handed hitters. Nip was also known to have pitched outside to left handed batters. Along with Willie Foster, Dave Brown and Slim Jones, Jesse Winters ranks among the best left handed pitchers in Negro League baseball history. He was an excellent hitter for a pitcher. This was incredibly important Jesse Winters because during the time he played rosters were quite often limited to 14-16 Hilldale players. During his career besides pitching he also played first base, outfield 1923-1927 and pinch hit. Research by Larry Lester and Dick Clark credits Nip Winters with a .296 career batting average against top level teams. He also posted a .472 slugging percentage in the 281 games for which they have found box scores. Early Baseball Career Jesse “Nip” Winters began his professional baseball career in 1919 when he signed to play for the Norfolk Stars or Norfolk All Stars as they were sometimes called. The Norfolk team was owned and managed by former Page Fence Giants player George “Chappie” Johnson. The Norfolk Stars were an independent club that barnstormed all over the East Coast and into Canada. Chappie Johnson promoted his team as “one of the top and most professional teams in traveling baseball.” According to Chappie they were “the highest salaried colored team on the road.” The Norfolk Stars were billed in the media “as one of the fastest colored aggregations in the country.” Some of the other top black independent teams in the East that the Norfolk Stars played during the time that Nip was on their roster included the Asbury Browns, Baltimore Black Sox, Baltimore Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Capital City Giants, Cuban Stars, Hilldale, Knoxville Giants, Madison Stars, Pennsylvania Giants, Pond Giants, Portsmouth Giants, Trenton Black Sox and Washington Giants. Through his reputation for professionalism and as a “top baseball man,” Chappie Johnson was able to recruit outstanding talent for his Norfolk team. During the time that Nip Winters played for the Norfolk Stars, their roster was loaded with future and former Negro League players. Some of these players included Harry Bauchman (2B/SS), John Cason (C), Chance Cummings (1B), James Crump (2B), Frank Crockett (OF), Ed Kemp (OF), Cecil Johnson (SS) and Carl Perry (2B). Besides Winters, Chappie Johnson’s pitching staff also included Negro League stars Bill Gatewood, Hosley “Scrip” Lee, Webster McDonald and Frank “The Red Ant” Wickware.

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Norfolk Stars (Winters – kneeling third from right)

The Norfolk Stars began their season in early April and the team played into late September. The Norfolk Stars started the 1920 season strong. During May they had a winning streak of 12 of 15 games and on May 21st, Norfolk had a won-loss record of 22-5 (.815). The Stars played to large crowds all season. In early April and again in June they drew 7,500 fans for games played at Hilldale Park. In mid-September a crowd of over 6,000 fans showed up in Norfolk to watch a game between the Norfolk Stars and the Pennsylvania Giants.

Winters played from 1919 to 1921 with Chappie Johnson’s Norfolk Stars. During his time with Norfolk, he was one of the top pitchers of the team. Nip Winters also played briefly for the Baltimore Black Sox in 1920 and the Washington Braves in 1921. Early in the 1921 season, Jesse Winters was signed by the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants. Atlantic City was an independent team that played primarily in the East. When they were not on the road, they played their home games at Inlet Park in Atlantic City. Some of the other top black independent teams that played in the East during the 1921 season were the All-Cubans, Baltimore Black Sox, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Cuban Stars (East), New York Lincoln Giants, Hilldale, Madison Stars, Pelham Silk Sox, Pittsburgh Keystones, Pittsburgh Stars of Buffalo, Washington Black Sox and Washington Braves.

Norfolk Stars vs Washington Braves Washington Post 05-21-21

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The Atlantic City Bacharach Giants were managed by Dick “Cannonball” Redding. Their starting line-up boasted four of the top five hitters in the East for the 1921 season. These players were Dick Lundy (.361), Dennis Graham (.351), Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle (.331) and George Shively (.305). Besides managing the team, Dick Redding (16-11) was also the ace of the pitching staff and considered one of the top pitchers in the East. Merven “Red” Ryan (7-5), Harold Treadwell (5-2), Andrew “String Bean” Williams (4-4), Jesse “Nip” Winters (3-2) and Talmadge Richardson (1-3) rounded out the starting rotation for Atlantic City. In the seven games for which box scores have been found with Nip pitching for the Bacharach Giants, he pitched 50.3 innings and posted a respectable 2.86 earned run average. The Atlantic City Bacharach Giants ended the 1921 season with a record of 42-36-2. Even though there was no formal league in the East in 1921, Atlantic City met Hilldale at the end of the regular season to determine which team would be considered the “Colored Champion of the East.” The four game championship series was played in September. Game one was played on September 23rd in Philadelphia. The Bacharach Giants jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a homerun by Oliver Marcelle. Atlantic City held on for a 4-3 victory with Cannonball Redding picking up the win. Nip Winters pitched game two and took a 4-1 loss to Hilldale. Dick Redding took the mound for Atlantic City in game three and came away with a 4-3 win. Game four was played in Brooklyn (NY) and turned into a slugfest. Hilldale scored six runs in the top of the first inning and Atlantic City came back with five runs in the bottom of the first. Hilldale eventually won the game by a score of 8-6 to tie the series at two games apiece. For some unknown reason, no tie breaker was ever played. Rube Foster took his Chicago American Giants team back East in late September of 1921 to play a championship series against the two top teams (Atlantic City and Hilldale) in the East. The Chicago American Giants were the champions of the Negro National League. The Atlantic City Bacharach Giants played four games against Rube Foster’s team. Game one was played on September 30th in New York City and ended in a 1-1 tie. Jesse Winters was given the ball to pitch game two for the Bacharach Giants. Winters did not disappoint and pitched a two hit 4-0 shutout of the Negro National League champions. Dave Brown (Chicago) faced off against Dick Redding (Atlantics City) in games three and four. Brown who was the ace of the American Giants beat Redding both times by the scores of 3-1 and 6-3 to give Chicago a 2-1-1 victory in the series. Hilldale beat Chicago in their series by winning three games to two for Chicago with one game ending in a tie. Hilldale claimed the title of “Colored Champions.” During the 1921 post season, Atlantic City also played a four game exhibition series against the Philadelphia Athletics. The Major Leaguers defeated the Bacharach Giants three games to one. Nip Winters did not figure in a decision during the series.

Controversy struck the Bacharach Giants before the start of the 1922 baseball season. Conflicts between management resulted in two Bacharach Giants teams for the 1922 season. One team stayed in Atlantic City and continued to play under the name “Atlantic City Bacharach Giants.” The other team was owned by John Connor and was known as the Bacharach Giants of New York. Jesse Winters played for the Bacharach Giants of New York in 1922. John Henry “Pop” Lloyd was the player/manager of the Bacharach Giants of New York. Bacharach Giants of New York vs C.I. Taylor’s A.B.C.’s Kokomo Tribune

Kokomo, IN 07-24-22

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The top hitters for the Bacharach Giants of New York were Elias “Country” Brown (OF), Clarence “Fats” Jenkins (OF), Pop Lloyd (SS), Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle (3B), Julio Rojo (C) and George Shively (OF). The pitching staff included Dick “Cannonball” Redding, Roy “Speed Boy” Roberts, Harold Treadwell, Andrew Williams and Jesse “Nip” Winters. Eighteen (18) box scores have been found for Nip pitching for the Bacharach Giants of New York. In these 18 games, Winters pitched 99.3 innings, had 78 strikeouts and a won-loss record of 7-8. He also posted a batting average of .314 for the season.

The highlight of the 1922 season for Nip Winters came on July 25th at Athletic Park in Kokomo (IN) when he threw a no-hitter against the Indianapolis ABC’s. In the nine innings he pitched, he struck out eight. The Bacharachs won the game by a score of 7-1. The ABC’s scored their lone run on an error in the fifth inning by left fielder Warren Duncan.

During the regular season, the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, Bacharach Giants of New York, Baltimore Black Sox, Hilldale and New York Lincoln Giants were considered the top teams in the East. In addition to their independent schedule in the East, Connor’s Bacharach Giants also went on a barnstorming tour of the West where they traveled to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Canton, Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Ypsilanti (MI). When the 1922 season was over, the Bacharach Giants of New York were selected to play the Chicago American Giants, who had just won their third straight of the Negro National League title, in what was promoted in the media as a “Colored Championship Series.” The five game series was played from September 12th to September 16th in Chicago.

Jesse “Nip” Winters started game one for the Bacharach Giants and won a tightly played contest by the score of 5-4. The next day, Harold Treadwell defeated Chicago by a score of 3-2 to give the Bacharach Giants a two game lead and left them only one victory away from the championship. Dave Brown, the ace of the Chicago American Giants, came back on September 14th to pitch his team to a 3-2 win and keep the American Giants in the series. Game four was classic Rube Foster (manager of the Chicago American Giants) baseball. With Chicago down by a score of 3-2 going into the seventh inning, Leroy Grant and Cristobal Torriente both walked. The next batter up was pinch hitter Johnny Reese who beat out an infield hit to load the bases. Bingo DeMoss then bunted the ball down the first base line and as the Bacharach Giants’ pitcher was fielding the ball, two runs scored for Chicago. Jimmie Lyons followed with another bunt that scored another run. In the eighth inning with runners on second and third, Bingo DeMoss laid down a perfect bunt that allowed both runners to score. In two innings, Chicago had scored five runs on three bunts to give them a 7-3 victory and tie the series at two games apiece. Game five was one of the most exciting games ever played in “Colored Championship” play. Each team had won back to back games. New York had won games one and two, while Chicago won games three and four. Harold Treadwell took the mound for New York, and Huck Rile was the starting pitcher for Chicago. Rile matched Treadwell by pitching six scoreless innings

Chicago Defender giving way to Dave Brown. Treadwell and Brown then hooked up in a 08-05-22 pitching duel that took them to the bottom of the 20th inning. Cristobal

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Torriente walked and was sacrificed to second by Bobby Williams. The next batter up was Dave Malarcher who drove in Torriente for the winning run. After a 20 inning pitching duel, the Chicago American Giants came away with a 1-0 victory and another “championship.” The Chicago American Giants had come from two games down to claim the “Colored Championship.” The saddest note to the contest was that Harold Treadwell had pitched 19 straight scoreless innings before giving up the lone run that cost his team the championship. In October of 1922 the Bacharach Giants of New York faced off in a game against John McGraw’s World Champion New York Giants (National League). The game was played on Sunday October 15th at Harrison Field in Harrison, New Jersey.

Chicago Defender 10-14-22

Formation of the Eastern Colored League (ECL)

When Rube Foster formed the Negro National League in 1920 his goal was to establish a national black baseball league. Feeling threatened by Foster and the Negro National League, team owners and promoters in the East decided to form their own league and crush Foster’s plan of moving his sphere of influence to the East. Through the leadership of Ed Bolden and Nat Strong, the Eastern Colored League was formed in 1923 before the start of the regular baseball season. Bolden owned the Hilldale team and Hilldale Park. Ed Bolden also served as President of the Eastern Colored League. Nat Strong was a promoter and team owner. As a sports promoter, he controlled black baseball bookings in the East. In addition he owned the Brooklyn Royal Giants and Cuban Stars. Nat Strong and his partner Max Rosner also owned Dexter Park which was the home of the Brooklyn Bushwicks. The teams that played in the inaugural season of the Eastern Colored League and their final standings are as follows:

Eastern Colored League (1923)

Team Record Pct. Rank Hilldale 32-17 .653 1st Cuban Stars (East) 23-17 .575 2nd Brooklyn Royal Giants 18-18 .500 3rd Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 19-23 .452 4th New York Lincoln Giants 16-22 .421 5th Baltimore Black Sox 19-30 .388 6th

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Two problems plagued the Eastern Colored League from the very beginning. First the “league” had a difficulty in maintaining a balanced schedule because team owners always had difficulty with securing ball park rentals. This was not a problem for Hilldale because they owned their own ball park (Hilldale Park). As time went on, Hilldale proved to be the financial backbone of the Eastern Colored League. The second major problem of the “league” was the lack of cooperation among the owners.

Winters’ Negro League Career

In preparation for Hilldale’s Eastern Colored League season, Ed Bolden was determined to strengthen his roster. Several key veteran players (Bunny Downs, Bill Francis, Charlie Henry, Connie Rector, Doc Sykes and Chaney White) from the 1922 team were released before the start of the 1923 season. Bolden’s plan was to sign the best talent available in the East and also raid the western teams to put together a Hilldale squad that would be the best team in the East and dominate his newly formed “league.” Ed Bolden had seen Jesse Winters pitch for the Bacharach Giants and knew the tall lefthander could be the ace of his pitching staff. When Winters signed with Hilldale, the team had discovered the foundation of their pitching staff for years to come. Also signed from eastern teams were John Henry “Pop” Lloyd (Bacharach Giants) at shortstop and Hosley “Scrip’ Lee (Baltimore Black Sox) as a starting pitcher. At the same time he was signing players in the East, Bolden was raiding western teams for several of their best players. Players Hilldale signed from the West for their 1923 season were Frank Warfield (Detroit Stars) as the team’s starting second baseman, George “Tank” Carr (Kansas City Monarchs) at first base, Raleigh “Biz” Mackey (Indianapolis ABC’s) as the team’s starting catcher and Clint Thomas (Detroit Stars) in the outfield. John Henry “Pop” Lloyd was named the team’s manager for the upcoming Eastern Colored League season. The Hilldale team that Bolden had put together had virtually no weakness. Bolden’s plan worked to perfection as he built a team that would be the most dominant team in the East for several seasons to come.

Jesse “Nip” Winters quickly became the ace of the Hilldale pitching staff and he was considered the best pitcher in the “league.” In 1923 he led the Eastern Colored League in games pitched (26), complete games (15), wins (16), winning percentage (.842) and strikeouts (99). In addition Jesse Winters compiled a 2.45 earned run average (ERA) during the season in Eastern Colored play. Negro League researcher James Riley credits Winters with a record of 32-6 when both “league” and “non-league” wins are added together. In an article that appeared in the Afro American on August 8th, the newspaper reported a game that Nip pitched against an all-star team from the Philadelphia Baseball Association. Nip limited the All Stars to just three hits and won the game by a score of 9-1. This was according to the newspaper his 16th straight victory during the season.

Winters Wins 16 in a Row Afro American 08-10-23

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Winter’s complete pitching statistics for the Eastern Colored League season and in games against top level competition during the 1923 season were: Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1923 Hilldale 26 169.0 16 3 124 46 21 99 2.45 The above record does not include “non-league” games and games against lower level teams. Phil Cockrell (10-6), Red Ryan (8-7), Wade Hampton (7-2) and Scrip Lee (7-4) rounded out the starting rotation. Hilldale’s pitching staff threw eighteen (18) shutouts during the season. The top hitters for Hilldale during the 1923 season were Biz Mackey (.423), Pop Lloyd (.367), George Johnson (.352), Louis Santop (.292), Judy Johnson (.290), Otto Briggs (.284) and Clint Thomas (.281). The Philadelphia Inquirer dubbed Hilldale’s outfield of George Johnson, Clint Thomas and Otto Briggs as the “Million Dollar Outfield.” Hilldale hitters produced all season and averaged almost seven (7) runs a game for the season. Hilldale started the 1923 season strong with a seventeen (17) game winning streak in June. They played excellent baseball all season long. Ed Bolden’s focus was very simple: “win ball games.” At the end of the Eastern Colored League season, Hilldale had the best record (32-17) in the “league” and were crowned the Eastern Colored League champions. Their overall record for the 1923 season against all levels of competition was 137-43-6 (.761). Jake Stephens, back-up shortstop for Hilldale, in an interview with Negro League researcher John Holway summed up Hilldale as follows:

“Hilldale played like a team. There was so much cooperation, everybody knew his job. The main thing was to win ball games, regardless of how you did it.”

In late September of 1923, Frank Warfield replaced Pop Lloyd as Hilldale’s manager. The move did not surprise anyone, as Lloyd was never very popular with the players and Bolden was more than willing to unload Lloyd’s hefty salary. Upon leaving Hilldale, Lloyd went to the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants. Warfield’s first assignment as the team’s “new” manager was to win the Philadelphia Baseball Association (PBA) Tournament. Frank rose to the challenge in his first managing assignment by defeating Chester to win PBA championship. In October when Hilldale finished their regular 1923 season, they played a six game exhibition series against the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League. The Athletics were also “billed” as the Major League All Stars during the series. The Major Leaguer’s team included Jimmy Dykes, Chick Galloway, Joe Hauser, Fred Heinach, Bing Miller, Curley Ogden and Wid Matthews. Hilldale added Dick Lundy to their team to bolster their roster against the Major Leaguers. Game one opened on October 9th at Shettsline Field in south Philadelphia with Phil Cockrell throwing a 3-0 one-hitter against his Major League opponent. Nip Winters took the mound for Hilldale in game two which was played on October 10th at Smeadly Field in Chester (PA). Winters allowed his Big League opposition seven hits and came away with a 3-2 win. Hilldale came back the next day at Shettsline Field and defeated the Major Leaguers in game three. Game four was played on October 12th at Shettsline Field with Hilldale coming away with the win. Games five and six were played as a doubleheader at Hilldale Park. Over 20,000 fans showed up for the doubleheader which was played on October 13th. Led by the pitching of Phil Cockrell (2-0), Nip Winters (2-1) and Merven “Red” Ryan (1-0) Hilldale swept the series five games to one for the Major Leaguers. Clint Thomas (.333) and Judy Johnson (.300) were the leading hitters for Hilldale during the series. The series was financially very profitable for Hilldale and capped off a very successful season on the field of play.

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The 1923 season was an overwhelming success for Hilldale from all perspectives. Hilldale was dominant on the field, won the Eastern Colored League championship, won the Philadelphia Baseball Association title and then destroyed their Major League opposition in post season play. They drew massive crowds at Hilldale Park which led to financial success. On October 13th, Ed Bolden held a banquet for all his players at the Hotel Attucks in Philadelphia. Each player received a gold belt buckle in special recognition for their championship season.

Hilldale (1924) Eastern Colored League

Jesse “Nip” Winters was back with Hilldale at the start of the 1924 season to help them defend their Eastern Colored League (ECL) championship. As manager of Hilldale, Frank Warfield had a difficult challenge in front of him entering the 1924 season. Even though he found himself at the helm of the number one team in the East and quite possibly the best team in Negro League baseball, he also was faced with defending Hilldale’s Eastern Colored League championship. When the 1924 Eastern Colored League season started, Warfield returned all but one of his starters from the championship team of 1923. The only starter who was gone was former player-manager John Henry “Pop” Lloyd. Not satisfied to stay with the status quo, Bolden strengthened his roster by adding Rube Curie (Kansas City Monarchs) to the pitching staff and Joe Lewis (Baltimore) as a backup catcher to Louis Santop. Jesse “Nip” Winters was once again the ace of the pitching staff and in 1924 he had the best season of his career. Winters went 23-7 (.767) against Eastern Colored League opponents and top level teams during the 1924 season. He led the Eastern Colored League in games pitched (35), complete games (24), innings pitched (260), wins (23) and strikeouts (147). In 30 starts he pitched 24 complete games and had three shutouts. Negro League researcher John Holway credits Jesse Winters with a won-loss record of 27-4 (.871) for the 1924 season. Nip started the season strong with a one hitter against the Washington Potomacs on May 10th. The highlight of the 1924 season for Winters was a no-hitter he threw against Oscar Charleston’s Harrisburg Giants on September 3rd. He struck out seven and walked four in the game. The final

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score of the game was 2-0 in Hilldale’s favor. This was the first no-hitter in Eastern Colored League history. Jesse Winters’ complete pitching statistics for “league” games and games against top level competition for the 1924 season were as follows: Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1924 Hilldale 35 260.0 23 7 212 78 67 147 2.70 Merven “Red” Ryan (15-7), Phil Cockrell (10-3) and Rube Currie (3-9) rounded out Hilldale’s starting rotation. Hilldale got both outstanding hitting and great pitching all season. Hilldale posted a team batting average of .294 for the 1924 season. Biz Mackey (.356), Louis Santop (.349), Judy Johnson (.342), Joe Lewis (.316), Frank Warfield (.304), George “Tank” Carr (.284) and Clint Thomas (.284) were the leading hitters for Hilldale during the season. Besides being a dominant force on the mound, Nip Winters also had an excellent season hitting in 1924. Nip batted .299 with a .467 slugging percentage, hit 4 homeruns and drove in 14 runs. In addition to a great hitting team, Hilldale also had excellent team speed. Everyone in the starting line-up could run and that provided Warfield with another dimension to his offense. Frank Warfield’s first season as a Negro League manager was a huge success. His Hilldale team improved on their performance from the year before and once again won the Eastern Colored League title. The final order of finish for the 1924 Eastern Colored League season was as follows:

Eastern Colored League (1924)

Team Games Record Pct. Rank Hilldale 69 47-22 .681 1st Baltimore Black Sox 51 32-19 .627 2nd

New York Lincoln Giants 57 32-25 .561 3rd Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 59 30-29 .508 4th Harrisburg Giants 54 26-28 .481 5th Brooklyn Royal Giants 42 16-26 .381 6th Washington Potomacs 58 21-37 .362 7th Cuban Stars (East) 48 17-31 .354 8th

Hilldale posted a won-loss record of 112-51-9 (.687) in games against all levels of competition.

First Negro League World Series

By winning the Eastern Colored League title, Hilldale also won the right to face the Kansas City Monarchs (Negro National League Champions) in the first ever Negro League World Series. This historic series was played between October 3rd and October 29th. The series pitted the top two pitchers (Wilber “Bullet” Rogan of the Kansas City Monarchs and Jesse “Nip” Winters of Hilldale) in Negro League baseball against each other. The Kansas City Monarchs were led by Bullet Rogan who was 17-5 on the mound during the regular season and was also one of the Negro National League’s top hitters (.409 batting average for the season). In addition to Rogan, the Kansas City line-up included Oscar “Heavy” Johnson (.374), Newt Joseph (.363), Walter “Dobie” Moore (.356) and Hurley McNair (.346). Big Bill Drake (11-9), William Bell (11-2) and Harold “Yellow Horse” Morris (7-5) helped support Rogan on the Monarchs’ pitching staff.

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Negro League World Series (1924) In 1924 the first ever Negro League World Series was held. The series pitted Hilldale (Eastern Colored League champions) against the Kansas City Monarchs (Negro National League champions). The event was held between October 3rd and October 29th. The Kansas City Monarchs won the series and were crowned Negro League World Series Champions.

Kansas City Monarchs Negro National League Champions

(left to right – Frank Floyd, Hurley McNair, Newt Joseph, Harold “Yellowhorse” Morris, Oscar “Heavy” Johnson,

Bullet Rogan, Newt Allen, Jose Mendez, Walter “Dobie” Moore, William Bell, Lemuel Hawkins, Frank Duncan, Cliff Bell, Dink Mothel, William McCall, Bill Drake, George Sweatt, J.L. Wilkinson,

Dr. William Smith, Charles Spedden and Alex Pompez)

Hilldale Eastern Colored League Champions

(left to right – Rube Foster, Ed Bolden, Louis Santop, Jesse “Nip” Winters, Rube Currie, Holsey “Scrip” Lee,

George “Tank” Carr, George Johnson, Judy Johnson, Merven “Red” Ryan, Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, Toussaint “Tom” Allen, William “Zip” Campbell, Joe Lewis, Clint Thomas, Phil Cockrell, Otto Briggs,

Frank Warfield, Jake Stephens and William “Doc” Lambert.)

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The series could not have been more dramatic in how it unfolded on the field. Going into the tenth and final game of the series, each team had won four games (game three ended in a 6-6 tie). The Kansas City Monarchs, behind the brilliant pitching of aging veteran Jose Mendez, beat Scrip Lee and Hilldale by a score of 5-0 in the final game of the series to give the Monarchs the first ever Negro League World Series Championship. Jesse “Nip” Winters was the hero of the series for Hilldale and had kept them in the series with a 3-1 won-loss record and a 1.16 ERA. Winters also struck out 21 batters in the 38 innings he pitched. The Negro League World Series was an historic event, but it was also a financial disaster. The ten games played drew only 45,857 fans and $ 52,113.90 in gate receipts. For over two weeks of work, each member of the Kansas City Monarchs got $ 308 and each Hilldale player received a mere $ 193 for the ten games they played. A summary for the 1924 Negro League World Series is as follows: Winning Losing Game Location Date Winning Team Score Pitcher Pitcher 1 Philadelphia Oct 3rd Kansas City 6-2 Bullet Rogan Phil Cockrell 2 Philadelphia Oct 3rd Hilldale 11-0 Nip Winters Jack McCall 3 Baltimore Oct 5th Tie Game 6-6 - - 4 Baltimore Oct 6th Hilldale 4-3 Rube Currie Cliff Bell 5 Kansas City Oct 11th Hilldale 5-2 Nip Winters Bullet Rogan 6 Kansas City Oct 13th Kansas City 6-5 William Bell Scrip Lee 7 Kansas City Oct 14th Kansas City 4-3 Jose Mendez Nip Winters 8 Chicago Oct 18th Kansas City 3-2 Bullet Rogan Rube Currie 9 Chicago Oct 19th Hilldale 5-3 Nip Winters Bill Drake 10 Chicago Oct 20th Kansas City 5-0 Jose Mendez Scrip Lee

Chicago Defender 11-01-24

Before the start of the 1925 regular baseball season, Jesse Winters traveled to Florida in January to work at the Breakers Hotel and play for their baseball team. The Breakers team played in what is generally referred to as the Florida Hotel League or the Coconut League. From the early 1900’s through the 1930’s, the big resort hotels in Florida recruited black ball players to come to Florida during the winter months and work primarily as bellmen and waiters in their hotels. With such great baseball talent on their payrolls, the resort owners came up with the idea of forming their own baseball teams and staging exhibition games between the hotels for the entertainment of their guests. The Breakers Hotel and the Royal Poinciana Hotel were the two most prestigious hotels in Florida and for years were bitter rivals in these ball games.

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In 1925 Jesse “Nip” Winters joined fellow Negro Leaguers Todd Allen (1B), Bunny Downs (SS), Burlin White (C) and Chaney White (OF) to play for the Breakers Hotel team. Willis “Pud” Flournoy and Kenneth “Ping” Gardner also pitched for the Breaker Hotel team during their 1925 winter season. Very few box scored have been found for the 1925 season. One box score from a game played on February 13th reported Nip pitching a 3-0 shutout against the Royal Poinciana team. Newspaper accounts report at least nine games being played during the 1925 Florida Hotel League season. The Royal Poinciana team won seven of these games to only two for the Breakers squad. After the Florida winter league season was over, Jesse Winters returned to Hilldale in time for spring training for the 1925 Eastern Colored League season. Players reported to Hilldale on April 7th for spring training at Hilldale Park in Darby (PA). After only four days of spring training, the first of several preseason “non-league” games for the Hilldale squad was played on April 11th when they met the Passayunk Club. Hilldale opened the regular Eastern Colored League season on April 25th against Oscar Charleston’s Harrisburg Giants. Nip Winters received the honor as the starting pitcher for Hilldale. Winters held the Giants to just two runs on five hits and came away with his first “league” win of the season. George “Tank” Carr provided most of Hilldale’s offense during the game with three hits that included a homerun. A sold out crowd saw Hilldale easily win the game by a score of 6-2. Hilldale entered the 1925 season with three objectives: improve the team’s won-loss record, win the Eastern Colored League title and win the Negro League World Series. Like the season before, Warfield got both great hitting and great pitching all season long. The starting line-up for the 1925 Hilldale team posted the following batting averages for the season:

Hilldale (1925)

Batting Batting Position Player Average Position Player Average 1B George “Tank” Carr .365 OF Otto Briggs .335 2B Frank Warfield .292 OF Clint Thomas .329 SS Jake Stephens .198 OF George Johnson .310 3B Judy Johnson .389 C Biz Mackey .338 P Jesse Nip” Winters .297 Only “Country” Jake Stephens failed to hit during the season and that did not come as a surprise because he was a “weak” hitter his entire career. George “Tank” Carr led the team in homeruns with twelve (12). According to research by John Holway, Carr also led the Eastern Colored League (ECL) in doubles (26), triples (13) and stolen bases (27). Warfield continued his emphasis on team speed during the 1925 season. He believed in focusing on smart base running and stealing a base whenever given the opportunity. Research by Neil Lanctot for his book on the history of the Hilldale club credits Hilldale with over 200 stolen bases for the season when “league” and “non-league” games are added together. According to Lanctot, the team leaders in stolen bases for the year were Frank Warfield (35), George Carr (34), Clint Thomas (32) and Otto Briggs (32). Besides being the best hitting team and top offense in the Eastern Colored League, Hilldale also had the best pitching staff in the East. Jesse “Nip” Winters continued to be the ace of the staff for Hilldale with a 19-8 record in Eastern Colored League games. When non-league games are added to his season total, Nip is credited with winning at least 30 games during the season. During the 1925 season, Winters led the “league” in games (30), complete games (17), innings pitched (218), wins (19), strikeouts (97) and base on balls (58). His complete pitching statistics for the 1925 season are as follows: Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1925 Hilldale 30 218.0 19 8 194 64 58 97 2.64

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Hilldale (1925)

(Back row left right – Merven “Red” Ryan, Judy Johnson, George Johnson, unidentified, Louis Santop, Ed Bolden, George Carr, unidentified, Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, Bill Campbell and Clint Thomas. Kneeling left to right –

Phil Cockrell, Bill Robinson, Holsey “Scrip” Lee, Namon Washington, Frank Warfield, Rocky Ellis, Jake Stephens, Otto Briggs and Jesse “Nip” Winters.)

Rube Currie contested Nip Winters for who would be the best pitcher on the staff. Currie posted an unbelievable 14-1 (.933) record for the year. Rounding out the starting rotation for Hilldale were Phil Cockrell (9-3), Merven “Red” Ryan (5-2), Holsey “Scrip” Lee (4-1) and William “Zip” Campbell (2-3) Hilldale dominated Eastern Colored League (ECL) play the entire season. On July 18th the Afro American reported that Hilldale swept a doubleheader from the Brooklyn Royal Giants and that gave them a winning streak of twelve (12) straight “league” games. Hilldale easily won their third straight Eastern Colored League championship. The final standings for the 1925 ECL season were:

Eastern Colored League (1925)

Team Games Record Pct. Rank

Hilldale 67 52-15 .776 1st Harrisburg Giants 55 37-18 .673 2nd Baltimore Black Sox 51 31-20 .608 3rd Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 52 26-26 .500 4th Brooklyn Royal Giants 33 13-20 .394 5th Wilmington Potomacs 35 13-22 .371 6th Cuban Stars (East) 41 15-26 .366 7th New York Lincoln Giants 46 7-39 .152 8th

By the end of the season, Hilldale had accomplished more than anything they had hoped for during the year. Hilldale improved on what already was a great team going into the 1925 season. Hilldale’s won-loss record improved from 47-22 (.681) in 1924 to 52-15 (.776) in 1925. Not only did they win the Eastern Colored League championship, but they dominated “league” competition. Hilldale also played a significant number of “non-league” games during the season that included most of the top independent teams in the East. Hilldale’s record against “non-league” opponents in 1926 was 69-33-5. Even with all their success on the field, Hilldale was faced with a problem of dwindling attendance during the season.

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In addition to their Eastern Colored League title, Hilldale vindicated themselves for their loss in the 1924 Negro League World Series by destroying the Kansas City Monarchs (62-23) in the 1925 Negro League World Series. Hilldale beat the Kansas City Monarchs five games to one to be crowned Negro League World Series Champions. A summary of the 1925 Negro League World Series is as follows: Winning Losing Game Location Date Winning Team Score Pitcher Pitcher 1 Kansas City Oct 1st Hilldale 5-2 Rube Currie Bill Drake 2 Kansas City Oct 2nd Kansas City 5-3 Nelson Dean Phil Cockrell 3 Kansas City Oct 3rd Hilldale 3-1 Red Ryan Jose Mendez 4 Kansas City Oct 4th Hilldale 7-4 Nip Winters Bill Drake 5 Philadelphia Oct 8th Hilldale 2-1 Rube Currie Cliff Bell 6 Philadelphia Oct 10th Hilldale 5-2 Phil Cockrell William Bell

The 1925 Negro League World Series was an even worse financial disaster than the year before. The total gate receipts for the entire series were a mere $ 21,000.00. When the players left to go home, each member of the losing Kansas City Monarchs team got $ 57.64 per man or less than $ 10 a game.

After the Negro League World Series, Hilldale played a three game series against the International League All Stars. Hilldale won two out of the three games.

Jesse Winters’ outstanding play during the season was recognized when he was selected to the Pittsburgh Courier All East All Star team at the end of the 1925 Eastern Colored League season.

Afro American 09-05-25

Entering the 1926 Eastern Colored League season, there was nowhere for Frank Warfield and his Hilldale Club to go but down. To compound the team’s problems, Ed Bolden (owner of Hilldale) was faced with significant financial challenges.

Profits had been in decline for the last several years. There had been a steady decline in attendance at Hilldale Park. Ticket prices had not kept up with increases in the team’s expenses. Going into the season, the team had reduced ticket prices in order to attract more fans

to the ball park. Hilldale also found it harder and harder to book games with “white” semipro teams

and industrial teams which in the past had been their real money maker. To make matters even worse, the 1926 season started with numerous game

cancellations due to unusually rainy weather. The 1926 season started with numerous personnel changes. Before the start of the season Hilldale lost starting outfielder George Johnson, catcher Joe Lewis and one of their top pitchers in Rube Currie. In addition outfield reserves Rudolph Ash, Dewey Rivers and Melvin Sykes were released early in the season.

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The team started slowly, especially in the hitting department. Hilldale dropped its first four games of the season. All of these losses were to “white” semi-pro teams. Early in the season, the Philadelphia Inquirer dubbed Hilldale as the “hitless wonders.” When Eastern Colored League (ECL) play started, Hilldale went 10-6 before going on a losing streak that saw them drop 10 of 12 “league” games between June 9th and June 21st. Then veteran Louis Santop was released in July. The team hit rock bottom on July 25th when they were shut out in both ends of a double header by the Farmers (white semi-pro team). Fortunately for Hilldale by mid-season the team started hitting and winning more ball games. According to a newspaper article that appeared in the Afro American on August 28th, the leading hitters for Hilldale were George “Tank” Carr (.354 w/ 9 homeruns), Raleigh “Biz” Mackey (.333 w/ 16 homeruns), Judy Johnson (.329 w/ 41 doubles), Clint Thomas (.328 w/10 homeruns), Otto Briggs (.319) and Frank Warfield (.303). Jesse “Nip” Winters also had an excellent year at the plate by putting up the following hitting statistics for the 1926 ECL season: Year Team Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG 1926 Hilldale 48 114 13 32 8 3 2 24 2 .281 .456 Team speed once again supported the Hilldale run production. Once they got on base, Hilldale runners stole bases at an alarming rate. The team leaders in stolen bases in Eastern Colored League play were Clint Thomas (33), George Carr (23), Otto Briggs (22), Namon Washington (22), Frank Warfield (17), Biz Mackey (14), Jake Stephens (14) and Judy Johnson (13). The starting pitching rotation for Hilldale in 1926 was once again led by Jesse “Nip” Winters with a 20-7 record in “league” games and in games against top level competition. His pitching statistics for the 1926 season were: Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1926 Hilldale 28 202.7 20 7 169 58 50 73 2.58 Negro League researcher John Holway credits Winters with a record of 23-4 (.852) in 1926. William Campbell (20-8), Phil Cockrell (13-4), Merven Ryan (13-10), Scrip Lee (12-6) and Charlie Henry (1-4) rounded out Hilldale’s pitching staff. One of the highlights of the season for the Hilldale pitching staff was a no-hitter Charlie Henry pitched against the Newark Stars on June 27th. Ironically, this was Henry’s only victory in Eastern Colored League play during the season.

During the1926 season, Hilldale also played in the Interstate League. The Interstate League was an integrated league that started the season with three “black” teams (Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, Harrisburg Giants and Hilldale) and three “white” teams (Allentown Dukes, Camden and Chester). Hilldale’s season in the Interstate League opened on May 3rd with Nip Winters hurling a two hitter and striking out five against Camden. With 5,000 fans in attendance for the game played in Wilmington (DE), Hilldale walked away with a 5-0 victory. On June 23rd Hilldale was in first place with a record of 12-4, Harrisburg (7-6) was in second place and the Bacharach Giants (6-7) were in third. The Baltimore Black Sox entered the “league” on July 4th. Hilldale was crowned the Interstate League champion at the end of the season.

Chester Times Chester, PA 05-24-26

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By most team’s standards Hilldale had a very good Eastern Colored League season in 1926. They finished the year with a “league” record of 34-24 (.586). Unfortunately, the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (34-20) and the Harrisburg Giants (25-17) were just a little bit better. Atlantic City won the “league” title and Hilldale finished in third place. Hilldale also played an extensive “non-league” schedule in 1926. In their games against these lower level opponents, Hilldale compiled an impressive won-loss record of 83-37-2 (.682).

In 1926 Hilldale played a six game exhibition series versus Earle Mack’s All Stars during the first two weeks of October. The series was played in Wilmington (DE), Bloomington (PA) and at Hilldale Park. Earle Mack’s team included Major League stars George Burns, Jimmie Dykes, Lefty Grove, Henie Manush, Jack Quinn and Rube Walberg. To bolster his hitting attack, Bolden signed Negro League super stars John Beckwith and Oscar Charleston. The first game of the series was played on October 1st in Wilmington (DE). Behind a two run homerun by John Beckwith and solid pitching from Phil Cockrell, Hilldale posted a 3-2 victory. Game two was played at Hilldale Park with 9,000 fans in attendance. Fans who attended the game saw two of the best left handers (Lefty Grove and Nip Winters) in baseball square off against each other. Nip Winters easily out dueled Lefty Grove in game two for a 6-1 victory. Earle Mack’s All Stars won the third game in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel with Scrip Lee taking the loss. Hilldale, however, came back the next day and won both ends of a double header by the scores of 3-0 and 4-1. In the final game of the series which was played on October 9th, Nip Winters defeated Philadelphia ace Rube Walberg by the score of 4-3. Hilldale dominated the Major Leaguers winning 5 of the 6 games played. Earle Mack’s All Stars were also billed as the Major League All Stars during their post season play. The series was a

Winters beats Major Leaguers success for Hilldale on the field but a disappointment at Chester Times the box office. The final two games that were played at Chester, PA Hilldale Park only drew 3,102 fans. 10-4-26

The 1927 Eastern Colored League season for Hilldale was the first time since the inception of the “league” that the team faced productivity problems on the field. The problems all started when Ed Bolden (owner of Hilldale) significantly cut players’ salaries and reduced the roster size to 14-16 players. This resulted in low morale that plagued the team all season. Hilldale also suffered a tremendous loss in their starting line-up when John Beckwith and Oscar Charleston did not return to the team for the regular 1927 season. To make matters even worse, Hilldale also started the season with two of their best players not on the field. Biz Mackey had not returned from overseas and Clint Thomas was side-lined with a fractured rib. The loss of Mackey and Thomas had even more dramatic impact with the reduced roster size. During the season, Bolden tried to schedule as many games as possible. Hilldale played two to four “league” games a week and scheduled as many twilight games against “white” semipro teams and industrial clubs as they could. Hilldale was also referred to as the Darby Daisies in the media during the season.

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Hilldale vs Cuban Stars Opening Day Game – Eastern Colored League Season

Maryland Park (Richmond, VA) May 5, 1927

The team got off to a slow start in opening the 1927 regular season and never really recovered. From the very beginning of the season, other than George “Tank” Carr, every player in the starting line-up hit worse in 1927 than they had in 1926. Hilldale players with the largest drop in batting averages were: Batting Batting Player 1926 Average 1927 Average Drop Judy Johnson .319 .253 66 points Jake Stephens .251 .198 53 points Biz Mackey .333 .284 49 points Frank Warfield .303 .254 49 points Otto Briggs .286 .255 31 points

Namon Washington .254 .224 30 points

Besides a significant drop in batting average, Hilldale hitters also showed virtually no power at the plate. In 1926 Hilldale batters hit 53 homeruns. In 1927 Hilldale batters only hit 11 total homeruns for the season in “league” play. No player on the 1927 team hit more than 2 homeruns for the Eastern Colored League season. George “Tank” Carr (.339), Biz Mackey (.284), Clint Thomas (.268) and George Johnson (.264) were the team’s top hitters for the season. Unlike most of his teammates, Nip Winters had a very good season at the plate in 1927. His batting numbers in “league” games and in games against top level teams were: Year Team Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG 1927 Hilldale 43 114 16 32 10 1 4 16 1 .281 .491 As bad as Warfield’s team hit, Hilldale’s pitching staff didn’t do any better. In 1926 the starting pitching rotation had a record of 59-41 (.590). Other than Nip Winters all of the other Hilldale starters had dramatic drops in their pitching performances. In 1927 Hilldale starters went 29-39 (.426) in Eastern Colored League games. William Campbell was the biggest disappointment of all the starting pitchers for Hilldale. Campbell went from an 11-5 record in “league” play and an overall record of 20-8 in 1926 to 0-8 in 1927 against Eastern Colored League competition. Jesse “Nip” Winters was the ace of the pitching staff for Hilldale in 1927 and was the only pitcher on the team that came close to having a decent season. He put up the following numbers during the 1927 Eastern Colored League season: Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1927 Hilldale 27 179.7 13 8 171 69 58 76 3.46

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Even though he pitched better than any other pitcher on the staff, Nip’s numbers for the season weren’t as good as they had been in his four previous seasons with Hilldale. In his first four seasons with Hilldale his highest earned run average (ERA) had been 2.70. In 1927 his ERA exploded to 3.46 as compared to the previous year’s 2.58 ERA. Things got so bad with the team that in early June Winters, George “Tank” Carr and Namon Washington were all three suspended by the team for what in the media termed as “not trying.” Manager Frank Warfield’s official position was that the three had been suspended “simply for infraction of club rules.” The real cause behind Winters’ suspension could have been his drinking, attitude, morale or a combination of all three. The 1927 season would prove to be Nip Winters

Chester Times last season as a dominant starting pitcher in Chester, PA professional baseball. 06-10-27 The rest of Hilldale’s starting rotation for the 1927 season was made up of Phil Cockrell (11-11), Merven “Red” Ryan (4-6), Scrip Lee (0-4) and William Campbell (0-8). According to Negro League researcher John Holway, when “league” and “non-league” games are added together, Hilldale pitchers had the following records in 1927: Jesse “Nip” Winters (18-16), Phil Cockrell (14-21), Red Ryan (8-15), Scrip Lee (3-10) and William Campbell (1-11).

Winters wears out his welcome in Hilldale With poor hitting and ineffective pitching, Hilldale suffered all season. Things got so bad that Warfield was replaced as manager of Hilldale in June of 1927 by Otto Briggs. Warfield was 13-22 (.371) when he lost his job as the team’s manager. Hilldale finished the first half of the season in fifth place in the Eastern Colored League with a record of 17-28 (.378). In July Ed Bolden started making changes to the team. The first thing he did was bring back outfielder George Johnson who had once been a mainstay of the team. Then he attempted to make a trade with the Harrisburg Giants that would have sent Jesse “Nip” Winters and Clint Thomas to the Giants in exchange for Oscar Charleston. When Harrisburg fans rose up to protest the trade, Harrisburg Giants management cancelled the trade.

Winters returns to Hilldale

Afro American 08-13-27

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Hilldale went 19-17 (.528) for the second half of the season. They finished the 1927 season in fifth place in the seven-team Eastern Colored League. Ed Bolden’s Hilldale team posted their first losing season since the Eastern Colored League began in 1923. They were nine games under five hundred with a 36-45 (.444) won-loss record. The Atlantic City Bacharach Giants repeated as Eastern Colored League champions with a record of 54-35 (.607). To make matters even worse for Bolden, Hilldale suffered a financial loss of $ 21,500 for the 1927 season. The stress and strain of the season finally got to Ed Bolden in September when he suffered a complete nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized. Bolden would be out of baseball for several months. Interestingly enough, Rube Foster (owner of the Chicago American Giants and founder of the Negro National League) had suffered a complete mental breakdown that required him to be institutionalized only thirteen months earlier. Charles Freeman replaced Bolden as President of Hilldale Baseball and Entertainment Company. One of Freeman’s first moves was to sign Bill Francis as a non-playing manager. Freeman promised an extensive rebuilding process and changes to the roster for the 1928 season.

Nip Winters leaves Hilldale

Jesse “Nip” Winters did not return to Hilldale for the 1928 season. Before the start of the season, he played briefly for the Colored All Stars who were an independent team that barnstormed all over the northeast. The Colored All Stars fielded a strong team that featured the hitting of Eggie Dallard (2B), Goldie Cephus (OF), Judy Johnson (3B), Burlin White (C), Chaney White (OF) and Bill Yancey (SS). Besides Jesse Winters, their pitching staff included Willie Gisentaner and Bill Jackman. Other top independent teams in the East at the start of the 1928 season were Brooklyn Cuban Giants, Ewing’s All Stars, Havana Red Sox, Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York, Philadelphia Colored Giants of New York and the Quaker City Giants. Having worn out his welcome in Hilldale, Jesse “Nip” Winters was traded along with George “Tank” Carr to the New York Lincoln Giants for Walter “Rev” Cannady and former Hilldale pitcher Merven “Red” Ryan in April of 1928.

New York Lincoln Giants (1928)

(Standing-left to right – Clint Thomas, Orville, Riggins, Julio Rojo, Merven “Red” Ryan, Walter “Rev Cannady”, John Beckwith, Luther Farrell, Pop Lloyd, Jesse “Nip” Winters, Charles “Chino” Smith, William “Yank” Yancey,

Bill Holland, Connie Rector, Larry Brown, and Clarence “Fats” Jenkins)

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New York Lincoln Giants (1928) ( left to right - Jesse “Nip” Winters, Charles “Chino” Smith, William “Yank” Yancey, Bill Holland, Connie Rector,

Larry Brown and Clarence “Fats” Jenkins)

The New York Lincoln Giants were managed by John Henry “Pop” Lloyd and played their home games at the Catholic Protectory in New York City. They started the 1928 season as a member of the Eastern Colored League. The “league” was on shaky ground from the very beginning of the season and folded in June. After the “league” ceased operation all of the teams played an independent-barnstorming schedule for the remainder of the season. According to research by Gary Ashwill, the Lincoln Giants compiled a record of 21-17-2 against top level completion during the 1928 season. New York got excellent hitting during the season and posted a team batting average of .295. The Lincoln Giants were led during the season by the hitting of Pop Lloyd (.383), Julio Rojo (.348), Charles Spearman (.345), George Scales (.328), George Carr (.314) and Willie “Dolly” Gray (.283). Jesse had an excellent season at the plate hitting in 1928. His hitting statistics for the Lincoln Giants against the top teams they played were: Year Team Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG 1928 New York 18 46 16 18 4 1 3 16 0 .391 .451

A change of scenery did not help Winters’ performance on the mound or off the field. By now his fastball was no longer effective and he struggled on the pitching mound all season. He did, howevere, have a winning record of 8-5 with the Lincoln Giants but his earned run average sky rocketed to a 5.23 ERA. Even with a high earned run average, he was still the best pitcher that the New York Lincoln Giants had on their staff during the 1928 season. Connie Rector (7-8), Herb Thomas (5-0), Willie Gisentaner (2-5) and William “Zip” Campbell (2-0) rounded out the starting rotation for New York. The Lincoln Giants pitching staff compiled an earned run average of 5.44 runs per game against the top teams they played.

Late in the 1928 season, Nip jumped his contract with the New York Lincoln Giants and immediately joined the Homestead Grays for their post season play in September.

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Formation of the American Negro League Prior to the start of the 1929 baseball season, the American Negro League was formed. The following teams and their final order of finish for the 1929 American Negro League (ANL) season were as follows:

American Negro League (1929)

Team Games Record Pct. Place Baltimore Black Sox 70 49-21 .700 1st

Lincoln Giants 66 40-26 .606 2nd Homestead Grays 63 34-29 .540 3rd Hilldale 74 39-35 .527 4th Bacharach Giants 64 19-45 .298 5th Cuban Stars (East) 54 15-39 .278 6th

Even though Nip Winters had been released by the New York Lincoln Giants near the end of the 1928 season, he was re-signed by New York for the 1929 American Negro League season. The New York Lincoln Giants were still managed by John Henry “Pop” Lloyd. They featured ten hitters in their starting line-up that hit over .300 for the season: Charles “Chino” Smith (.465), George Scales (.414), John Beckwith (.398), John Henry “Pop” Lloyd (.370), Elbert Melton (.355), Charles Spearman (.353), Orville Riggins (.337), Julio Rojo (.329), Namon Washington (.327) and Dolly Gray (.303). The starting pitching rotation for the Lincoln Giants included: Connie Rector (12-0), Bill Holland (6-4), John “Neck” Stanley (5-0), Jesse “Nip” Winters (2-3) and Herb Thomas (1-3). Winters struggled during his tenure with the Lincoln Giants. In seven games for New York, Jesse went 2-3 with a horrific 7.11 ERA. In July Nip Winters was traded to the Baltimore Black Sox who were looking to bolster their pitching staff while making a run at the American Negro League title. The 1929 Baltimore Black Sox were managed by Dick Lundy. The Black Sox were a well balanced team with both excellent hitting and pitching. Buddy Burbage (.450), Herbert “Rap” Dixon (.432), Jud Wilson (.405), Pete Washington (.349) and Dick Lundy (.336) were Baltimore’s top hitters during the season. The Black Sox had a solid pitching staff that included Laymon Yokely (19-11), Merven “Red” Ryan (9-3), Willis “Pud” Flournoy (9-5), Holsey “Scrip” Lee (5-4) and Bun Hayes (4-0). Jesse Winters compiled a 0-1 record with a 5.68 ERA for the Black Sox in 1929. The Baltimore Black Sox finished the American Negro League season with a record of 49-21(.700) to win the “league” Championship. The New York Lincoln Giants finished in second place with a record of 40-26 (.606). After the 1929 regular season, the Baltimore Black Sox played a four game series against the Baltimore Orioles of the International League. The Orioles had signed four pitchers (Ed Carroll, Howard Emke, Curly Ogden and Ed Rommel) from the Philadelphia Athletics to bolster their pitching staff against the American Negro League champion Black Sox. The Baltimore Black Sox swept the Baltimore Orioles in all four games. Laymon Yokley picked up three wins and Scrip Lee won the other ball game. Nip Winters did not figure in a decision.

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Very little is known about Jesse “Nip” Winters’ career during the 1930 baseball season. Research has not identified him playing for any of the major black teams in the United States during 1930. A newspaper article that appeared in the Chester Times on August 8th has him pitching for Central Rest A.A. in a game against the Wilmington Hornets on the Chester Colored Elks field at the Fair Grounds in Chester, PA. The Central Rest A.A. club was a semipro team from the Philadelphia area. In an article that appeared in the June 19th edition of The Chester Times (Chester, PA), the newspaper had the following to say about the Central Rest A.A. team: “they are the best colored club in Delaware County (PA).” Indications are that Winters must have played for lower level teams

during the 1930 baseball season. Nip Winter plays for Central Rest Chester Times Chester, PA 08-07-30

Jesse Winters Returns to Hilldale

Before the start of the 1931 baseball season, John Drew provided financing to back a Hilldale team for the upcoming season. The original Hilldale baseball club was dissolved on March 11, 1931 and this gave Drew the opportunity to form his own team. Drew was just what Hilldale baseball needed because he had cash to attract top players and the money to finance changes that would make baseball viable once again in Hilldale. John Drew’s plan to resurrect the Hilldale baseball team was as follows:

1. Reincorporate the team as the Hilldale Club, Inc. John Drew held 197 shares of the stock, while James Byrd, Lloyd Thompson and Charles Freeman had one share each.

2. Reinstate player salaries. 3. Purchase Hilldale Park to give the team a home field. 4. After purchasing Hilldale Park, he spent $ 14,000 in improvements. 5. Sign Judy Johnson as player-manager. 6. Then the team recruited the following players (many of them who had once starred

for Hilldale): Phil Cockrell, Martin Dihigo, Rap Dixon, Webster McDonald, Jake Stephens, Chaney White and Jesse “Nip” Winters.

Drew’s team was known as the “Daises” during the 1931 season. Jesse Winters’ tenure with the Hilldale squad was very short. In May he started two games. In his first outing which was on May 3rd against the Baltimore Black Sox, he didn’t make it out of the first inning. Nip only got two batters out while giving up four runs before being relieved on the mound. His second appearance for which a box score has been found occurred on May 30th against the Baltimore Black Sox. This game went much better than his former meeting with Baltimore. Winters pitched 10 innings and only gave up one run while registering the win.

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According to an article that appeared in the Afro American, Jesse was released by John Drew for reasons due to his poor performance both on and off the field as well as various rule infractions. Hilldale went on to have an excellent season. Raleigh “Biz” Mackey (.327) and Eggie Dallard (.305) were the top hitters for Hilldale for the 1931 season. Behind the pitching of Phil Cockrell (23-3), Porter Charleston (11-4), Webster McDonald (9-1), Oscar Levis (8-7) and Paul Carter (7-2), Hilldale posted a season’s won-loss record of 120-31-4 against all levels of competition. The records presented here for Hilldale’s pitching staff are only for games against top level opponents. After leaving Hilldale, Nip pitched for the Newark Browns on June 14th and gave up 12 runs in the eight innings he pitched. Winters was then picked up by the Bacharach Giants (Philadelphia) after being released by Newark. Jesse finished the season out with the Bacharach Giants. Nip was 0-2 with a 5.32 ERA for the Bacharach Giants during his time with them in 1931.

Afro American Formation of East-West League 07-18-31

After two years with no formal league in the East, the East-West League was formed before the start of the 1932 baseball season. The teams that competed in the East-West League and their “official league” records for the 1932 season were as follows:

East-West League (1932)

Team Games Record Pct. Detroit Wolves 50 38-12 .760 Homestead Grays 82 54-28 .659 Baltimore Black Sox 82 41-41 .500 Cuban Stars 35 16-19 .471 Hilldale 50 19-31 .380 Washington Pilots 51 16-35 .318 Cleveland Stars 16 5-11 .313 The Pittsburgh Crawfords (54-32) and New York Black Yankees (14-11) competed as associate members of the East-West League during the 1932 season. Poor attendance and the financial problems associated with Great Depression spelled disaster for the “new” league. The East-West League folded before the end of the season and therefore no “league” championship was awarded. In an attempt to resurrect his career, Jesse Winters signed with the Washington Pilots for the 1932 season. The Washington Pilots were managed by former Hilldale player-manager Frank Warfield. They were a “new” team that was assembled by owners John Dykes and Rhody McCoy to play in the East-West League. The Pilots held spring training at Gonzaga High School Athletic Field in Washington, D.C. and played their home games at Griffith Stadium once the season started.

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Washington Pilots Staff starts Strong Jesse “Nip” Winters gets Victory Afro American 1932 The Washington Pilots had a good hitting team that included Jake Dunn (.375), Charles Hughes (.338), George “Mule” Suttles (.323), Dewey Creacy (.319) and Eppie Hampton (.311).

The pitching staff for Washington looked formidable on paper. It was made up of Bun Hayes (5-4), Henry Richardson (3-8), Chet Brewer (2-6), Webster McDonald (2-7), Leroy Matlock (2-5) and Jesse Winters (2-3). Frank Warfield who had managed Jesse when they were winning Eastern Colored League championships with Hilldale signed Winters to a contract hoping he could regain just a little bit of his former pitching glory. Winters started the season strong on May 8th when he pitched a complete game against the Baltimore Black Sox. He only gave up one unearned run, struck out six and did not issue a walk in picking up the victory. Jesse Winters only played with Washington until the first week of June when he was released. Winter’s release is somewhat of a mystery because his 2.45 ERA was the lowest on the staff and he had won his last start on June 1st. Nip’s won loss record was 2-3 for the Washington Pilots when he was released. After being released by the Pilots, Winters signed on with the Bacharach Giants. They had been formed in 1931 by Harry Passon and were based out of Philadelphia (PA). The Bacharach Giants played their home games at Passon Field located at 48th and Spruce when they were not on the road playing their independent schedule during the 1932 season. The team was comprised of mostly older veterans whose best playing days were behind them. John Henry “Pop” Lloyd (48) was the player-manager of the team. Other veterans on the Bacharach Giants’ roster were Otto Briggs (41), Phil Cockrell (36), Henry Gillespie (35), Joe Lewis (37), Squire Moore (35) and Roy Roberts (36). Only two box scores have been found for Jesse pitching for the Bacharach Giants in 1932 and he registered a loss in both of those games. Jesse Winters returned to the Bacharach Giants for the 1933 season. Like the season before, they played an independent schedule. The Giants were led by the hitting of Gene Benson (OF), Otto Briggs (OF), Buddy Burbage (OF), George “Tank” Carr (1B), Pepper Daniels (C), Javier “Blue” Perez (3B/2B) and Ed Stone (OF). The pitching staff for the Bacharach Giants included: Cliff Carter, Phil Cockrell, Dolly Cooper, Hosley “Scrip” Lee and Nip Winters. Newspaper coverage for the 1933 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants was very sparse and therefore individual statistics for the season are not available. Winters also appeared with Ed Bolden’s newly formed team, the Philadelphia Stars, during the 1933 season. The Stars played an independent schedule during this their first season.

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Tragic End to what once was a Brilliant Career According to Negro League researcher James Riley, Jesse Winters went to Canada after leaving the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants in 1933. Riley reports Nip pitching off and on for various lower level teams in Canada from 1934 to 1940. Winters going to Canada would be plausible because he started his career with Chappie Johnson when he played for him in Norfolk from 1919 to1921 and in the 1930’s Chappie Johnson had a strong presence in Canada, especially in the Montreal area. During the early 1930’s there were a significant number of independent black teams in the northeast, all vying for the same bookings and Johnson had moved his team, Chappie Johnson’s Colored Stars, to Montreal (Canada) where there was significantly less competition. Our research, however, has not identified any specifics to his reported career in Canada. Further research needs to be conducted to determine what type of baseball career he may or may not have had in Canada in the mid to late 1930’s.

It would make more sense to us that Jesse Winters stayed in the East where he was still well-known from his championship days with Hilldale in the 1920’s. He was still somewhat of a drawing card when he played for the Brooklyn Royal Giants in late 1936. The Raleigh Register in Beckley, West Virginia reported on September 9, 1936 that Nip Winters was going to be the starting pitcher in a game for the Brooklyn Royal Giants against the Homestead Grays. By 1936 the Brooklyn Royal Giants were no longer one of the top teams in Negro League baseball and were content to play the majority of their schedule against lower level competition. Brooklyn had become a haven for old ball players who were way past their prime in 1936 and just looking for a payday. Players came and went from the roster all season long. Some of the old Negro League players that appeared for the Royal Giants during the 1936 season were John Beckwith (1B), Crush Holloway (OF), Bobo Leonard (OF), Joe Lewis (C), Dick Lundy (SS), Orville Riggins (2B), Pete Washington (OF) and Chaney White (OF). Besides Nip Winters, the Brooklyn Royals pitching staff also included old timers Dick “Cannonball” Redding, Chippy Britt, Willie Gisentaner, Huck Rile and Otis Starks. Sadly, Jesse Winters ended his professional baseball on the bottom rungs of black baseball where he played for anyone who would provide him with a payday. His career apparently ended when he ran out of teams who would sign him.

Winters plays with Brooklyn Royal Giants Raleigh Register Raleigh , WVA 09-11-36

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Cuban Winter League Career

After the 1923 Eastern Colored League season concluded play, Nip Winters was recruited by Almendares of the Cuban Winter League to play for them for their 1923-24 winter league season. The 1923-24 Cuban Winter League season included the following four teams: Almendares Alacranes, Habana Leones, Marianao Tigres and Santa Clara Leopards. The season started on November 30, 1923 and concluded play on January 16, 1924. The Alacranes were managed by Cuban great Jose Rodriquez. The team’s leading hitters during the 1923-24 season were Manuel Cueto (.331), Fred Henry (.320), Ramon Herrera (.299) and Bernardo Baro (.293). Besides Jesse “Nip” Winters (2-3), Almendares’ pitching staff included Oscar Fuhr (5-7), Isidro Fabre (5-5), Lucas Boda (4-8) and Jesse Hubbard (0-4). Winters pitched 3 complete games in 14 games in which he appeared during the 1923-24 winter league season. Almendares finished the season in third place in the final league standings with a won-loss record of 18-29 (.383). They were 18 games behind the “league” champion Santa Clara Leopards. The 1923-24 Santa Clara Leopards were considered one of the best Latin baseball teams of all time. Emilio de Armas who owned the team stocked his roster with a virtual all-star team of Negro League players. Eight members of the starting lineup hit over .300 for the winter season. They were led by Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle (.393), Walter “Dobie” Moore (.386) and Alejandro Oms (.381). Bill Holland (10-2), Rube Currie (8-2), Dave Brown (7-3) and Merven “Red” Ryan (5-0) anchored the team’s pitching staff. Santa Clara finished the season with an impressive record of 36-11 (.766). They were 11 ½ games ahead of the second place Habana Leones (25-23). The 1923-24 winter league season had been such a success that team owners quickly organized a “new” season. The season was called “Gran Premio” (Special Season). It started play on January 19th, just three days after the regular winter league season ended. Teams representing Almendares, Habana and Santa Clara played in the 1924 Gran Premio League. Unlike the winter league season that had just finished, the Gran Premio season ended with all three teams within two games of the championship title. The season ended on March 6th. The final order of standing was Santa Clara (13-12), Habana (13-13) and Almendares (12-13). Nip Winters stayed in Cuba to pitch for Almendares in the 1924 Gran Premio season. Like the regular winter league season, he struggled on the mound and finished the “new” season with a dismal record of 1-3 (.250). His poor performance in Cuba for the two Almendares teams over the winter of 1923-24 has often been attributed to his drinking and participation in the “wild” night life in the Cuban capital. The leading hitters for Almendares during the 1924 Gran Premio season were Cristobal Torriente (.377), Bienvendio Jimenez (.348), Ernie Krueger (.340) and Eddie Brown (.295). Emilio Palmero (5-1), Jess Petty (3-5) and Isidro Fabre (2-1) were the team’s top pitchers. Winters returned to Cuba in 1925 to play for San Jose in the 1925-26 Cuban Winter League season. Only three teams (Almendares, Habana and San Jose) competed in the league for the 1925-26 season. League play began on October 31, 1925 and ended on January 31, 1926. The San Jose team was led by the hitting of Pablo Mesa (.338), Alejandro Oms (.324) and Oscar Rodriquez (.318). Unfortunately for team manager Jose Rodriquez, four players in his starting lineup hit under .200 for the season. The pitching staff for San Jose included Ed Dudley (1-5), Jesse “Nip” Winters (0-3), Merven “Red” Ryan (1-2), L. Morera (1-2) and David Gomez (0-2). Nip pitched in seven games for San Jose and threw three complete games. San Jose started the

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season slowly with poor hitting and even weaker pitching. On December 22nd they had a horrendous record of 3-16 (.158) and dropped out of the league. Nothing had worked for San Jose during the season. They weren’t hitting, the pitching staff had struggled all season, fans didn’t support them at the box office and the season had proven to be a total financial disaster. When San Jose folded, they were forced to forfeit all of their final 25 games.

Habana Leones (1926)

(Standing left to right – Alejandro Oms, Pablo Mesa, Eugenio Morin, Pelayo Chacon, Paito Herrers, Mike Gonzalez, Luther Farrell, Martin Dihigo, Ramon Gonzalez, Julio Rojo, Cristobal Torriente, and Oscar Levis. Kneeling left to

right – Ricardo Torres, Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle, Jesse “Nip” Winters, Rafael Quintana, Huanelo Mirabal, Jud Wilson and David Gomez)

When San Jose folded, Nip Winters was recruited by Mike Gonzalez, who was the manager of the Habana Leones, to join them in their quest to win the two-team league championship title. The Leones had a strong hitting team that included: Jud Wilson (.430), Mike Gonzalez (.407), Oscar Charleston (.350), Cristobel Torriente (.344), Ramon Gonzalez (.317) and Ramon Herrera (.309). The pitching staff featured Oscar Levis (8-4), Oscar Tuero (4-1) and Juan Eckelson (4-2). Nip Winters pitched in 6 games and threw a total of 31 innings for the Leones. During his time with Habana he struggled with his control, walking 19 batters with only 8 strikeouts. His won-loss record was 1-3 (.333) with a 3.80 earned run average. The Almendares Alacranes pulled ahead of Habana in the last two weeks of the season and won the championship with a record of 34-13 (.723). Almendares finished the season with a record of 32-15 (.681)

Life after the Negro Leagues

According to an article that appeared in the Afro American, after he quit playing professional baseball Nip returned to his farm in northern Pennsylvania. Later in life, he moved to Hockessin, Delaware. With no real education or job skills, he supported himself in Delaware by taking a variety of handyman jobs. Still plagued by his drinking problem, he lived the remainder of his life in quiet obscurity. Jesse “Nip” Winters passed away on December 12, 1971 at the age of 72 in Hockessin (New Castle County), Delaware.

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Assessing Jesse “Nip” Winters

From 1923 through the 1927 season while pitching for Hilldale, Jesse “Nip” Winters was the best pitcher in the East and the Eastern Colored League. Over this five year period, he dominated opposing hitters and led the Eastern Colored League in pitching each season. His records in “league” games and games against top level teams for these five seasons are as follows: 1923 (16-3), 1924 (23-7), 1925 (19-8), 1926 (20-7) and 1927 (13-8). He compiled an amazing overall won-loss record of 91-33 for these first five years of the Eastern Colored League. Nip Winters’ winning percentage was an unbelievable 73.4%. In short, Winters simply dominated his Negro League opponents during the prime of his career.

Research by five leading Negro League researchers has identified the following yearly won-loss records for Jesse “Nip” Winters. Larry Lester

& Dick Clark

John Holway

James Riley

Baseball Reference

Seamheads

1921 3-2 3-3 3-2 2-2 2-1 1922 7-8 7-10 4-3 5-1 7-8 1923 16-3 10-3 32-6 13-3 10-3 1924 23-7 27-4 19-5 22-7 23-6 1925 19-8 21-13 21-10 15-8 7-6 1926 20-7 23-4 15-5 19-6 - 1927 13-8 18-16 14-8 - - 1928 8-5 10-11 8-7 - - 1929 2-4 2-4 3-5 - - 1930 - - - - - 1931 1-4 1-2 1-5 - - 1932 2-5 1-2 1-1 - - Career Total

114-61

123-72

121-57

97-46

49-24

Winning Pct. .651 .631 .680 .678 .671 While each researcher has different won-loss records and two researchers haven’t researched several years, researchers agree that during his career Jesse “Nip” Winters won over 65 % of his decisions.

During his career as a starting pitcher, he had the tendency of finishing what he started. According to research by Larry Lester and Dick Clark, Jesse Winters pitched in 211 games during his career, started 163 games and pitched a complete game in 113 of those 163 outings. Winters had a 69.3 % of complete games as compared to starts. A yearly breakdown of his pitching starts and complete games is as follows:

Year

Games Started

Complete Games

Year

Games Started

Complete Games

1921 6 3 1926 21 16 1922 12 8 1927 22 14 1923 17 15 1928 14 9 1924 30 24 1929 5 3 1925 24 17 1932 7 2

Career Totals 163

113

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During the prime of his career (1923-1927), he started 114 games of which 86 went for complete games for a complete game percentage of 75.4 %.

Even when he was considered the best pitcher in the Eastern Colored League, he only

threw a minimal number of shutouts. Winters started 161 games between 1923 to1928 and only had 10 shutouts.

There is a significant problem of missing statistics for his pitching career.

1. Virtually no research has been done to find all the “non-league” games he played during his career. Currently, we have identified 114 wins he had in Negro League games and games against top level opponents. He most likely pitched at least twice as many games against lower level opponents like local teams and industrial teams. This could add over 200 wins to his career totals.

2. Nip Winters played during the post season every year and all we have is five exhibition games against Major League opponents. There have to be significantly more games that Nip pitched against regular teams during the post season.

3. We don’t have any of his pitching records for his first two years as a professional with the Norfolk Stars.

4. For the final four years (1928-1929 and 1931-1932), we only have found box scores for 40 games that he pitched in. That is only 10 games a year and this can’t be anywhere close to how much he played.

5. We don’t have any records for him in 1930. 6. Supposedly he pitched off and on again in Canada from 1934-1940 and we don’t

have any of these records.

Besides being an excellent pitcher during his prime, Jesse Winters was also an outstanding hitter. For the 280 Negro League games and games against top level competition for which box scores have been found, Jesse compiled a .296 career batting average with a .468 slugging percentage. Quite often in his career he was called on to play first base, play in the outfield or pinch hit. At the plate he was always able to help his own cause when he was pitching and when he was not pitching he gave his manager another bat on the bench or another player to put in the lineup at first or in the outfield. His hitting ability may have also extended his playing career, especially when he went to Canada.

Nip Winters was most probably his own worst enemy. First, he suffered from problems

with his control of his fast ball most of his career that he never really overcame. Even when he was considered the best pitcher in the East and the Eastern Colored League, he gave up runs and very seldom shut out his opponents. In one hundred and sixty-one (161) Eastern Colored League games, he only had eight (8) shutouts. Secondly, it is common knowledge that Jesse Winters suffered from a severe drinking problem his entire adult life. This not only affected him personally, but affected his performance on the baseball field. In reality his downfall was most likely a combination of both factors.

In conclusion it is very difficult to analyze the career Jesse “Nip” Winters. In reality he had two different careers. From 1923 through 1927, he was the best pitcher in the East and Eastern Colored League. In August of 1927 his career started to unravel and his tenure as a dominant pitcher was over. From then on, he was never really effective as a pitcher. Jesse spent the rest of his career struggling with his control, his drinking problem and life in general. Winters went from one of the best pitchers in black baseball to a journeyman.

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Jesse “Nip” Winters – Ace of Hilldale’s Pitching Staff From opening day of 1923 when the Eastern Colored League played its first game through the 1927 season, Jesse “Nip” Winters was the ace of Hilldale’s pitching staff. For most or all of these five seasons, he was also regarded as the best pitcher in the East. During each of these five years, he also led the Eastern Colored League in wins. In 1923 he went 16-3, 23-7 in 1924, 19-8 in 1925, 20-7 in 1926 and 13-8 in 1927. Winters won-loss record in “league” games and games against top level competition from 1923-1927 was an astounding 91-33 (.734). Media coverage leads us to believe that he was even more effective against lower level opponents like town team, factory teams, local all-star squads, etc.

Hilldale (1924) Eastern Colored League

Hilldale Park

(Standing left to right - Holsey “Scrip” Lee, Phil Cockrell, Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, Jesse “Nip” Winters, George “Tank” Carr, William “Zip” Campbell, Ed Bolden, Wade Hampton, Merven “Red” Ryan, Judy Johnson, unknown and Louis Santop. Front row left to right - Clint Thomas, Rube Currie,

Cliff Carter, unknown, Bat Boy, Lambert, Frank Warfield, Otto Briggs, Joe Lewis and Jake Stephens.)

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Playing Career Regular Season: Year Team League 1919-1921 Norfolk Stars Independent 1920 Baltimore Black Sox Independent 1921 Washington Braves Independent 1921 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Independent 1922 Bacharach Giants of New York Independent 1923-1927 Hilldale Eastern Colored League 1926 Hilldale Interstate League 1928 Colored All Stars Independent 1928 New York Lincoln Giants Eastern Colored League 1928 Homestead Grays Independent 1929 New York Lincoln Giants American Negro League 1929 Baltimore Black Sox American Negro League 1930 New York Lincoln Giants Independent 1930 Central Rest A.A. Semipro Team (Philadelphia area) 1931 Hilldale Independent 1931 Newark Browns Independent 1931 Bacharach Giants (Philadelphia) Independent 1932 Washington Pilots East-West League 1932-1933 Bacharach Giants (Philadelphia) Independent 1933 Philadelphia Stars Independent 1936 Brooklyn Royal Giants Independent Winter Leagues and Post Season Play: Year Team League 1921 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Championship Series vs Hilldale 1921 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Championship Series vs Chicago American Giants 1921 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Four Game Series vs Philadelphia A’s 1922 Bacharach Giants of New York Championship Series vs Chicago American Giants 1922 Bacharach Giants of New York Game vs New York Giants (NL) 1923 Hilldale Philadelphia Baseball Association Tournament 1923 Hilldale Six Game Series vs Philadelphia Athletics 1923-24 Almendares Cuban Winter League 1924 Almendares Special Season – Gran Premio (Cuba) 1924 Hilldale Negro League World Series vs Kansas City Monarchs 1924 Harrisburg Giants Exhibition Game 1925 Breakers Hotel Florida Hotel League 1925 Hilldale Negro League World Series vs Kansas City Monarchs 1925 Hilldale Exhibition Game vs International League All Stars 1925-26 San Jose Cuban Winter League 1925-26 Habana Leones Cuban Winter League 1926 Hilldale Post Season Play 1926 Hilldale Two Game Series vs Major League All Stars 1926 Hilldale Six Game Series vs Earle Mack’s All Stars 1928 Colored All Stars Post Season Play 1928 Hilldale Six Game Series vs Major League All Stars 1929 Baltimore Black Sox Series vs Baltimore Orioles (International League)

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Career Statistics – Pitching (Regular Season) Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1921 Atlantic City 7 50.3 3 2 35 16 15 14 2.86 1922 New York 18 99.3 7 8 106 57 32 78 5.16 1923 Hilldale 26 169.0 16 3 124 46 21 99 2.45 1924 Hilldale 35 260.0 23 7 212 78 67 147 2.70 1925 Hilldale 30 218.0 19 8 194 64 58 97 2.64 1926 Hilldale 28 202.7 20 7 169 58 50 73 2.58 1927 Hilldale 27 179.7 13 8 171 69 58 76 3.46 1928 New York 15 108.3 8 5 141 63 30 51 5.23 1929 New York 11 50.7 2 4 75 37 14 12 6.57 Baltimore 1931 Hilldale 6 40.7 1 4 55 30 7 4 6.64 Newark Bacharach Giants 1932 Washington 8 36.3 2 5 43 17 9 17 4.21 Atlantic City Total 211 1415.0 114 61 1325 535 371 668 3.40

Career Statistics – Pitching (Play-Offs) Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1921 Atlantic City - - 1 1 - - - - - 1922 New York - - 1 0 - - - - - Total - - 2 1 - - - - -

Career Statistics – Pitching (Negro League World Series) Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1924 Hilldale 4 38.7 3 1 27 - 8 21 1.16 1925 Hilldale - - 1 0 - - - - - Total - - 4 1 - - - - -

Career Statistics – Pitching (Philadelphia Baseball Association) Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1923 Hilldale 1 6 1 0 3 - - 7 -

Career Statistics – Pitching (Interstate League) Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1926 Hilldale 2 18 2 0 10 1 3 9 0.50

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Career Statistics – Pitching (Non-League)

Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1923 Hilldale 1 6 1 0 2 - - - - 1924 Hilldale 1 - 1 0 - - - - - Total 2 - 2 0 - - - - -

Career Statistics – Pitching (Exhibition Games vs Major Leaguers) Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1923 Hilldale 3 - 2 1 - - - - - 1926 Hilldale 2 - 2 0 - - - - - Total 5 - 4 1 - - - - -

Career Statistics – Pitching (Florida) Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1925 Breakers 1 - 1 0 - 0 - - 0.00

Career Statistics – Pitching (Cuba)

Earned Year Team Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA 1923-24 Almendares 14 - 2 3 - - - - - 1924 Almendares - - 1 3 - - - - - 1925-26 San Jose 7 - 0 3 - - - - - 1925-26 Habana 6 31 1 3 25 - 19 8 3.80 Total - - 4 12 - - - - -

Career Pitching Statistics (Totals)

Earned Games Innings Won Lost Hits Runs BB S0 ERA

Negro League 211 1415.0 114 61 1325 535 371 668 3.40 Play-Offs - - 2 1 - - - - - Negro World Series - - 4 1 - - - - - Philadelphia BB Association 1 6.0 1 0 3 - - 7 - Interstate League 2 18.0 2 0 10 1 3 9 0.50 Non-League 2 - 2 0 - - - - - Exhibition Games - - 4 1 - - - - - Florida 1 - 1 0 - 0 - - 0.00 Cuba - - 4 12 - - - - - Total - - 134 75 - - - - -

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Career Statistics – Hitting (Regular Season – Negro Leagues) Year Team Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG 1921 Atlantic City 6 13 3 4 0 0 0 4 0 .308 .308 1922 Atlantic City 16 35 4 11 2 0 0 3 0 .314 .371 1923 Hilldale 25 59 4 13 3 0 1 5 0 .220 .322 1924 Hilldale 42 107 12 32 4 1 4 14 4 .299 .467 1925 Hilldale 35 91 11 27 4 5 3 15 1 .297 .549 1926 Hilldale 48 114 13 32 8 3 2 24 2 .281 .456 1927 Hilldale 43 114 16 32 10 1 4 16 1 .281 .491 1928 New York 18 46 16 18 4 1 3 16 0 .391 .451 1929 New York 27 72 11 21 3 1 0 4 2 .292 .361 1931 Hilldale 6 16 3 4 0 0 1 2 0 .250 .438 1932 Washington 11 25 3 9 1 0 0 4 0 .360 .400 Total 277 692 96 203 39 12 18 107 10 .293 .462

Career Statistics – Hitting (Philadelphia Baseball Association) Year Team Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG 1923 Hilldale 1 3 1 1 0 0 1 - - .333 1.333

Career Statistics – Hitting (Non-League Games) Year Team Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG 1923 Hilldale 1 3 3 2 - - - - - .667 - 1924 Hilldale 1 4 1 1 - - 1 - - .250 1.0 00 Total 2 7 4 3 - - 1 - - .429 -

Career Statistics – Hitting (Exhibition Games vs Major Leaguers) Year Team Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG 1926 Hilldale 1 4 1 2 1 - - - - .500 .750

Career Hitting Statistics – Hitting (Totals) Year Games AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA SLG Negro League 277 692 96 203 39 12 18 107 10 .293 .462 Philadelphia BB Assoc. 1 3 1 1 0 0 1 - - .333 1.333 Non-League 2 7 4 3 - - 1 - - .429 - Exhibition Games 1 4 1 2 1 - - - - .500 .750 Total 281 706 102 209 40 12 20 107 10 .296 .472

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Pitching and League Leader Titles

Category Year League Number Games 1923 Eastern Colored League 26

1924 Eastern Colored League 35 1925 Eastern Colored League 30 1926 Eastern Colored League 28 1927 Eastern Colored League 27 Complete Games 1923 Eastern Colored League 15

1924 Eastern Colored League 24 1925 Eastern Colored League 17 1926 Eastern Colored League 16 1927 Eastern Colored League 14 Wins 1923 Eastern Colored League 16 1924 Eastern Colored League 23 1925 Eastern Colored League 19 1926 Eastern Colored League 20 1927 Eastern Colored League 13 Winning Percentage 1923 Eastern Colored League .842 Shutouts 1923 Eastern Colored League 2 1924 Eastern Colored League 3 1925 Eastern Colored League 2 Innings Pitched 1924 Eastern Colored League 260 1925 Eastern Colored League 218 1926 Eastern Colored League 202.7 Strikeouts 1923 Eastern Colored League 99

1924 Eastern Colored League 147 1925 Eastern Colored League 97 1927 Eastern Colored League 76 Base on Balls 1924 Eastern Colored League 67 1925 Eastern Colored League 58 1927 Eastern Colored League 58

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Pittsburgh Courier All Time Negro League All Star Team

In 1952 the Pittsburgh Courier polled thirty-one (31) former Negro League players, black sports writers, baseball officials and managers. They were asked to select an all- time Negro League All Star baseball team. Even though the prime of Jesse “Nip” Winters was a short five years, he was selected to the Second Team as one of their starting pitchers. The panel of Negro League experts selected the following First and Second Team all-star squads. First Team Second Team Position Player Position Player

1B Walter “Buck” Leonard 1B Ben Taylor 2B Jackie Robinson 2B Bingo De Moss SS John Henry “Pop” Lloyd SS Willie Wells 3B Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle 3B Judy Johnson C Josh Gibson C Roy Campanella C Raleigh “Biz” Mackey C Bruce Petway LF Monte Irvin LF Pete Hill CF Oscar Charleston CF James Bell RF Cristobal Torriente RF Charles “Chino” Smith Utility (INF) Martin Dihigo Utility John Beckwith Utility Sam Bankhead Utility Newt Allen Utility (OF) Martin Dihigo Utility Clint Thomas Pitcher Smokey Joe Williams Pitcher Dave Brown Pitcher Satchel Paige Pitcher Dick Redding Pitcher Bullet Joe Rogan Pitcher Jesse “Nip” Winters Pitcher John Donaldson Pitcher Dizzy Dismukes Pitcher Willie Foster Pitcher Don Newcombe Coach Dizzy Dismukes Coach C.I. Taylor Coach Dan McClelland Coach Dave Malarcher Manager Rube Foster Manager Cumberland Posey

Hilldale (1925)

(Back row left to right - George “Tank” Carr, Toussaint Allen, Judy Johnson, George Johnson, Ed Bolden, Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, Jesse “Nip” Winters, Rube Currie, Louis Santop. Kneeling left to right - Joe Lewis,

Clint Thomas, Holsey “Scrip” Lee, Frank Warfield, mascot Rocky, Jake Stephens, Otto Briggs, William “Zip” Campbell and Merven “Red” Ryan)

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Selected Career Highlights

Jesse “Nip” Winters compiled a won-loss record of 114-61 (.651) in Negro League games and a record of 134-75 (.641) in games against all levels of competition.

On July 25, 1922 while pitching for the Bacharach Giants, he pitched a no-hitter against the Indianapolis ABC’s. Nip struck out eight and did not walk a batter in the game.

Ace of the pitching staff for the Hilldale team that won three straight Eastern Colored League championship titles in 1923, 1924 and 1925.

On September 3, 1924 he threw a no-hitter against Oscar Charleston’s Harrisburg Giants.

While pitching for Hilldale in the first ever Negro League World Series (1924), Winters posted a 3-1 won-loss record and a 1.16 ERA.

Led Hilldale to a Negro League World Series championship in 1925.

Selected to the Pittsburgh Courier All East All Star team in 1924 and 1925.

Led the Eastern Colored League in wins for five straight seasons: 1923 (16 wins), 1924 (23 wins), 1925 (19 wins), 1926 (20 wins) and 1927 (13 wins).

Led the Eastern Colored League in strikeouts on four different occasions 1923 (99 strikeouts), 1924 (147 strikeouts), 1925 (97 strikeouts) and 1927 (76 strikeouts).

Led the Eastern Colored League in games pitched for five straight seasons: 1923 (26), 1924 (35), 1925 (30), 1926 (28) and 1927 (27).

Led the Eastern Colored League in complete games for five straight seasons: 1923 (15), 1924 (24), 1925 (17), 1926 (16) and 1927 (14).

In five games against Major League competition, he posted a won-loss record of 4-1.

Member of the Hilldale team that won the Interstate League championship in 1926.

Member of the Baltimore Black Sox who were the 1929 American Negro League champions.

Posted a career batting average of .296 with a slugging percentage of .472, both of which are outstanding for a pitcher.

Selected to the second team Pittsburgh Courier All Time Negro League All Star team in 1952.

Jesse “Nip” Winters, Willie Foster and Slim Jones are generally regarded as the three best left handed pitchers in Negro League baseball history.