Considering that players like Babe Ruth knew that the Negro leagues had the best players, the reality is that the Negro Leagues WERE the actual major leagues.
October 4, 1921: Oscar Charleston and Charlie Blackwell bash the Cardinals’ barnstormers in Game 2
The series was billed as a clash between the “recognized strongest clubs in the two big leagues.”
1 However, it was not the World Series, pitting the American League and National League pennant winners; rather, it was the Negro National League St. Louis Giants squaring off against the St. Louis Cardinals barnstormers in a scheduled six-game series that commenced the day after the close of the NNL and NL seasons in 1921.
The brainchild of Giants minority owner and general manager Charlie Mills, the series took place in Sportsman’s Park and served as a rematch from the previous season, when the teams split their four games, all of which were played at Giants Park. These two ground-breaking series marked the first time a White big-league club in the Gateway City took the field against Black competition. Living up to its billing, the first game showcased clutch hitting and pitching, with the Cardinals emerging victorious, 5-4 in 11 innings, on October 3. The clubs met again on the diamond, less than 24 hours later, for the second game.
As you see here, the Negro League team beat the Cardinals 6-2. The night before the Cardinals won 5-4 in extra innings after the Giants blew a 4 -0 lead. The Cardinals were managed by Branch Rickey, and one of the players on that team was Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby.
