Dick Redding

Dick Redding
Dick Redding
	Pitcher
	Born: April 15, 1890; Atlanta, Georgia
	Died: October 31, 1948 (aged 58); Islip, New York
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
	1911, Lincoln Giants
Last appearance
	1932, Bacharach Giants
Career statistics
Run average	4.71
Earned run average	3.64
Teams
	Negro leagues Lincoln Giants (1911–14, 1915–16); Lincoln Stars (1914–15); Indianapolis ABCs (1915); Chicago American Giants (1917); Brooklyn Royal Giants (1918–19, 1923–31); Bacharach Giants (1919–22, 1932); Other Fe, Cuba (1912–13, 1914–15); Habana, Cuba (1922–23);

Richard Redding (April 15, 1890 – October 31, 1948), nicknamed "Cannonball", was an American pitcher, outfielder, and manager in baseball's Negro leagues, regarded as perhaps the fastest pitcher in the history of black baseball. In his career, he played for the Philadelphia Giants, New York Lincoln Giants,^[1] Lincoln Stars, Indianapolis ABC's, Chicago American Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants, and Bacharach Giants.^[3]

Career

Born in Atlanta in the era of racial segregation, Redding was functionally illiterate and was not allowed to play in the Major Leagues because of his race. Against all levels of competition he threw seven no-hitters in one year and approximately thirty in his career. Quiet and clean-cut off the field, he was as intimidating as anyone on it. He had a limited pitching repertoire, but his main pitch, his fastball, was feared by batters all over the league. It was likely faster than Bob Feller's and was far more accurate than Steve Dalkowski's. Redding gained an extra advantage by throwing "brushback" pitches inside.

Redding's career began in 1911 with the Philadelphia Giants. That year, at the age of 20, he won 17 consecutive games. Early in his career he was at his best, and in 1914, playing for the New York Lincoln Giants, he was 12–3 against official competition and 31–9 in barnstorming. He served in World War I in 1918, and was a player-manager from 1919 to 1922. His playing career was essentially over by the mid-1920s, but he managed the Brooklyn Royal Giants from 1927 to 1932. His career win–loss record is known to be 81–62.

Ten years after retiring in 1938, Redding suffered a sudden bout of mental illness in 1948 and died in a mental hospital in Islip, New York later that year at age 55.

A few years after his death, Redding received votes listing him on the 1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the Negro Leagues' best players ever.^[4]

Hall of Famer Buck Leonard once said about Redding: "was a nice fellow, easy going. He never argued, never cursed, never smoked as I recall; I never saw him take a drink."

On November 5, 2021, he was selected to the final ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Early Days Committee for consideration in the Class of 2022. He received three votes or less of the necessary twelve votes.^[5]

Career statistics

Comprehensive statistics for some Negro league and Cuban League seasons

Negro league and Cuban League statistics and player information from Seamheads.com

Negro leagues

Negro league baseball statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Negro leagues)

Pre-league play in the United States

The following statistics, compiled from box scores by John Holway, provide an incomplete record of games played against other major black teams. Because black teams of that era played most of their games against white semi-pro or professional teams, the available statistics represent a very small sample.

Year	Team	W	L	Pct	RA
1911	Lincoln Giants	5	1	.833	5.35
1912	Lincoln Giants	2	2	.500	—
1913	Lincoln Giants	0	0	—	—
1914	Lincoln Giants	4	4	.500	—
1915	Lincoln Stars	6	2	.750	2.55
1916	Lincoln Giants	4	1	.800	5.59
1917	Chicago American Giants	14	5	.737	1.57
1918	Brooklyn Royal Giants	2	0	1.000	—
1919	Bacharach Giants/Brooklyn	3	5	.375	1.67
Total	9 seasons	40	20	.667	—

Source: Holway, pp. 84, 90, 94, 99, 105–06, 113, 116, 126, 130–31.

Cuban League

Year	Team	W	L	Pct	G	CG	IP	H	BB	SO	RA
1912w	Fe	4	8	.333	14	8	—	—	—	—	—
1913w	Fe p	7	2	.778*	21	9	—	—	—	—	—
1914/15	Fe	2	6	.250	10	—	70	36	29	28	4.63
1920/21	Bacharach Giants	2	6*	.250	10	6	—	—	—	—	—
1922/23	Habana	3	1	.750	7	3	—	—	—	—	—
Total	5 seasons	18	23	.439	62	—	—	—	—	—	—
w – winter; * – led league; p = pennant.

Source: Figueredo, pp. 99, 103, 114, 138–39, 146.

Notes

^ ^a ^b "Lincoln Giants Adds Another Brace of Victories to its Brace" Indianapolis Freeman, Indianapolis, Indiana, May 20, 1916, Page 4, Column 4
^ "Empey Has Fine Bill" New York Sun, Page 4, Column 2
^ "'Cannonball' Redding was one of a kind". mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
^ "1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"
^ "Fowler, Hodges, Kaat, Miñoso, Oliva, O'Neil Elected to Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.

References

Figueredo, Jorge S. (2003), Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878–1961, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, ISBN 0-7864-1250-X
Hogan, Lawrence D. (2006), Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, ISBN 0-7922-5306-X
Holway, John B. (2001), The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History, Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishers, ISBN 0-8038-2007-0

External links

Career statistics from Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads

[lincoln1916-1] "Lincoln Giants Adds Another Brace of Victories to its Brace" Indianapolis Freeman, Indianapolis, Indiana, May 20, 1916, Page 4, Column 4

[bacharach1919-2] "Empey Has Fine Bill" New York Sun, Page 4, Column 2

[3] "'Cannonball' Redding was one of a kind". mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2008-09-07.

[poll-4] "1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"

[VeteransHOF-5] "Fowler, Hodges, Kaat, Miñoso, Oliva, O'Neil Elected to Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.

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