Mule Suttles
| Mule Suttles | |
|---|---|
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| First baseman | |
| Born:March 31, 1901 Edgewater, Alabama,U.S. | |
| Died:July 9, 1966(aged 65) Newark, New Jersey,U.S. | |
Batted:Right Threw:Right | |
| NBL debut | |
| 1921, for the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants | |
| Last NBL appearance | |
| 1944, for the Newark Eagles | |
| NBL statistics | |
| Batting average | .339 |
| Hits | 1,093 |
| Home runs | 180 |
| Runs batted in | 883 |
| Stolen bases | 85 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2006 |
| Election method | Committee on African-American Baseball |
George"Mule"Suttles(March 31, 1901 – July 9, 1966) was an Americanfirst basemanandoutfielderinNegro league baseball,most prominently with theBirmingham Black Barons,St. Louis StarsandNewark Eagles.Best known for his power hitting, Suttles was elected to theBaseball Hall of Famein2006.
Negro league career
[edit]Born inEdgewater, Alabama,Suttles played one game for theAtlantic City Bacharach Giantsin 1921, and broke into theNegro National Leaguein 1923 with theBirmingham Black Barons.Suttles was renowned for hitting for power as well asbatting average.In five years with the Stars (1926–1930), he led the league inhome runstwice and indoubles,triples,and batting average once each. His 1926 season was the fifth time in league history that a player won the batting Triple Crown.
Suttles' final seasons were spent playing first base for theNewark Eagles' "Million Dollar Infield" withDick Seayat second,Willie Wellsat shortstop, andRay Dandridgeat third. He alsomanaged,and was highly respected. He is one of nine players to have won multiple league batting titles.
East–West games
[edit]In fiveEast–West All-Star Games,he batted.412 with an.883slugging percentage.He also hit the first ever home run in the history of the east–west game.
Career totals
[edit]In 26 documented exhibition games against white competition, Suttles hit.374 with five home runs. He hit.329 with 179home runsin Negro League competition, the latter number second on the all-time list in Negro League play, behind onlyTurkey Stearnes.
Legacy
[edit]Suttles, who stood 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), weighed in at 195 lbs,[1]and used a 50-ounce bat, was known for his power, including several 500+ foot homers; a game against theMemphis Red Soxin which he blasted three homers in a single inning, and a home run atHavana, Cuba's Tropicana Park that flew over a 60-foot (18 m) high center field fence and landed in the ocean.Willie Wellssaw the homer and remarked, "He hit this damn ball so far it looked like we were playing in a lot; it didn't look like no ball park."[citation needed]It was because of Suttles' strength that he got his nickname, and late in games when a big hit was needed his teammates would encourage him with cries of, "Kick, Mule!"
Clarence Isreal,an Eagles player, was quoted as saying, "He was considered my dad. Suttles was the most gentle person I ever saw."[citation needed]
In 2001, writerBill Jamesranked Suttles as the 43rd-greatest baseball player of all-time and the second-bestleft fielderin the Negro leagues.[2]
In 2024, Stutters was officially recognized as the 4th greatest all-time slugger when the Negro League statistics were incorporated into the MLB records, far surpassing Mark Mcguire and also relegating Barry Bonds to 8th place.
Death
[edit]Suttles died ofcancerinNewark, New Jersey,at age 65. Lenny Pearson, who played with and for Suttles, recalled in John Holway's bookBlackball Stars:"He told us, 'When I die, have a little thought for my memory, but don't mourn me too much.'"
Suttles was interred inGlendale CemeteryinBloomfield, New Jersey.[3]
References
[edit]- ^Mule SuttlesArchived2010-09-24 at theWayback Machineat blackbaseball
- ^James, Bill (2001).The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.The Free Press.
- ^Encyclopedia of Alabama
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information fromBaseball ReferenceandBaseball-Reference Black Baseball statsandSeamheads
- Mule Suttles managerial career statisticsatBaseball-ReferenceandSeamheads
- Mule SuttlesatFind a Grave
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- 1901 births
- 1966 deaths
- National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
- Birmingham Black Barons players
- St. Louis Stars (baseball) players
- Chicago American Giants players
- Baltimore Black Sox players
- Newark Eagles players
- New York Black Yankees players
- Negro league hitting Triple Crown winners
- Baseball first basemen
- Baseball players from Jefferson County, Alabama
- Baseball players from Newark, New Jersey
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople