Very few people become world famous at age 13, with their image forever frozen in the public eye. For Mo’ne Davis, that was exactly what happened. Ten years after she became the first girl to win a game (and throw a shutout) in the Little League World Series, she’s a

On March 9, 2017, Royce Lewis arrived at the ballpark with added pep in his step. With a plethora of talent evaluators in the stands, Lewis, then a high school senior mere months away from becoming the first overall pick in the MLB Draft, was a powder keg of energy

"Well, Doby has returned since I wrote you before. He looks fine," Effa Manley, the owner of the Negro Leagues' Newark Eagles, wrote to Eagles shortstop (and future big leaguer) Monte Irvin about his double-play partner at the keystone, Larry Doby, on Jan. 28, 1946. Doby had recently returned from

When Jackie Robinson made his debut as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in Spring Training of 1946, his jersey number was not the 42 he'd come to be associated with. That spring in Daytona Beach, and throughout the ensuing season with the Triple-A Montreal Royals, he wore number

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Ryan Howard never met his maternal grandfather, James Phillip Black, who died before Howard’s birth in 1979. But Howard is well aware of his grandfather’s legacy as a hardworking man who chose to forego baseball and instead provide stability for his family, and whose athletic genes likely

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- If you stick around long enough, it begins to feel like the universe is playing tricks on you -- especially as a baseball fan. History tends to repeat itself between the lines, giving you random bouts of déjà vu, ensuring that the beautiful legacies of the

The Reds Community Fund continued February’s Black History Month celebration by hosting Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) President Bob Kendrick at the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy on Friday. Kendrick spoke to a group of about 120 kids from Walnut Hills High School baseball, Oyler High School softball and

From a very young age, Andre Dawson knew he wanted to be a Florida A&M Rattler. In elementary school, the future member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame attended the Orange Blossom Classic, where the Rattlers football team played annually in his hometown of Miami. The games were intoxicating

February is Black History Month, and throughout the month, MLB.com will be looking back at Negro League legends who have richly contributed to baseball history. The following feature originally ran in 2023.

NEW YORK -- Troy Benjamin never played or coached for the Yankees, but he impacts an important part of the day-to-day operation with his skills behind the scenes. Benjamin is the lead TV producer for Yankees games that appear on the YES Network. It's a role he has had since

When the Double-A Birmingham Barons host the Montgomery Biscuits on June 18 at Birmingham’s Rickwood Field, and when the Giants face the Cardinals there two days later, the games will be played on hallowed ground. Rickwood Field was originally the home of two franchises. Opened in 1910, it was built

Darryl Strawberry doesn't lament where the circuitous route of life has ultimately brought him. He doesn't look back with regret. He does, however, wonder what might have been. His tale is well-known. From high school phenom in Los Angeles to the top of the sports world in New York, the

Joyce Stearnes Thompson is the daughter of Baseball Hall of Famer Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, but she never saw her father play the game professionally. She really didn’t know the full story about her father’s decorated Negro Leagues baseball career until after he passed away in 1979; for the most part,

Whether it be as a first baseman, a coach or as a scout, Buck O’Neil was a pioneer. Not only was he the first Black coach in AL/NL history, he signed legends such as Ernie Banks, Lou Brock and Joe Carter as a scout. The key was O'Neil's personable approach

DETROIT – At just six weeks old, Dina Harris was adopted by a low-income senior citizen. This was the start of a life spent in public housing, but the catalyst to Harris’ life’s work. A nurturing high school staff essentially “adopted” Harris, providing her with driving lessons along with many

It’s January 2005, and David Price is on the cusp of his freshman season at Vanderbilt. But he’s also a few bad games away from quitting baseball and working at a local McDonald’s. “It was a January or February day. There was a big part of him that was going

The leaderboards are at once familiar and foreign. We know the names of American and National League legends like Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth and Bob Feller. And of Negro League legends like Bullet Joe Rogan, Turkey Stearnes and Cool Papa Bell. But to see these names unseparated by the sin

DETROIT – Kenneth Donaldson is a lifelong Detroit resident who has dedicated more than 40 years to philanthropy, mentorship and community organizing, and he currently serves as the president and CEO of Black United Fund of Michigan (BUF). The Western Michigan University alum studied engineering but realized sitting at a

In the old newspaper photo, Walter “Dobie” Moore points to where the bullet struck him. Sitting on the steps in front of a home with his crutch leaning against the porch, Moore has his left pant leg rolled up, his fingers touching the brace on his shin. We can see

Billy Joel’s world tour had reached Japan, and that gave Larry Doby Jr. -- a member of Joel’s road crew -- an opportunity to explore an oft-forgotten piece of his famous father’s baseball history. So on a break between concerts on that day in 1995, Doby Jr. and some fellow

Millions heard his broadcasts -- in five-, 10- and 15-minute chunks -- all over the New York and New Jersey region each week for over 30 years. Sportswriters like the New York Daily News' Jimmy Powers respected him and Tigers commentator Ernie Harwell called him a friend. Without his radio

A version of this story original ran in February 2022.

February is Black History Month, and throughout the month, MLB.com will be looking back at Negro League legends who have richly contributed to baseball history. The following feature originally ran in 2020, during the 100th anniversary celebration of the formation of the Negro Leagues.

It was the spring of 2001. Rickie Weeks Jr. had just posted a 1.351 OPS in his freshman campaign for Southern University and the best players in the country were flocking to Arizona to compete with Team USA after the collegiate season. Most of the players that is. Weeks --

A version of this story was originally published in February 2020.