Buck Leonard biography
Buck Leonard, byname of Walter Fenner Leonard, (born September 8, 1907, Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S.—died November 27, 1997, Rocky Mount), American baseball participant who was thought of among the finest first basemen within the Negro leagues. He was among the many first Negro leaguers to obtain election into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Leonard, a left-handed hitter, was a semiprofessional participant for a number of years in North Carolina earlier than dropping his job with a railroad and deciding to pursue full-time skilled baseball in 1933. That yr he performed with the Portsmouth Firefighters, the Baltimore Stars, and the Brooklyn Royal Giants. He signed with the Homestead Grays in 1934 and performed 17 years with them, by means of the 1950 season.
Leonard and catcher Josh Gibson led the Grays to 9 consecutive Negro National League championships from 1937 by means of 1945. The Grays gained a tenth pennant and their third Negro World Series title in 1948. Leonard was chosen to begin within the East-West All-Star sport a document 11 instances. He completed his Negro league profession with a batting common of about .341 and a .382 mark towards main leaguers in exhibition video games.
In 1943 Leonard was a part of Satchel Paige’s All-Stars, enjoying towards main league All-Stars and hitting .500 in eight video games. But it was dwelling runs that made Leonard and Gibson the most-feared tandem within the Negro leagues, very like Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth of the most important league New York Yankees. Clark Griffith, the proprietor of the Washington Senators of the most important leagues, thought of signing the pair however by no means did. After Homestead disbanded, Leonard performed 5 extra years, in Mexico and likewise with Portsmouth, till 1955, when he was 48 years previous.
Leonard was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, together with Gibson, his longtime teammate. Leonard served as vp of the Rocky Mount Leafs within the Class-A Carolina League.