Oscar Charleston biography

 Oscar Charleston biography

 Oscar Charleston, in full Oscar McKinley Charleston, (born October 14, 1896, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.—died October 6, 1954, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), American baseball participant and supervisor who was thought-about by many to have been one of the best all-around ballplayer within the historical past of the Negro leagues.

In his mid-teens, Charleston left college and entered the United States Army. He first performed organized baseball whereas stationed within the Philippines. He was the one African American participant within the Manila League in 1914. He returned to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1915 and signed on with the ABCs, the native Negro membership for which he had been a batboy as a toddler.

The barrel-chested Charleston rapidly made an impression together with his skilled play in centre area and his vigorous bat, which helped the ABCs win a championship in 1916. A left-hander who hit for each energy and common, he was finest identified for his distinctive velocity, his robust throwing arm, and a unstable mood that usually led to fights on and off the sphere. He joined the Chicago American Giants in 1919 however returned to the ABCs the next yr, when the crew joined the newly shaped Negro National League. In 1921 he loved a usually robust yr, batting .434, stealing 35 bases in 60 video games, and main the league in doubles, triples, and residential runs.

Charleston performed with the St. Louis Giants, the Harrisburg Giants (serving additionally as supervisor), and the Philadelphia Hilldales within the Twenties. He joined the Homestead Grays in 1930 and was a part of the 1931 crew that additionally starred Josh Gibson. From 1932 to 1938 he was player-manager for the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

Charleston retired as a participant in 1941 with a lifetime batting common of .357. He then managed varied groups; in 1954 he guided the Indianapolis Clowns to a Negro World Championship. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.