MEMORY LANE: Hidden figures: Jasper Washington
Fayette County has always had a rich baseball history. Forgotten over the years is a great ballplayer from a bygone era, Jasper 鈥淛ap鈥� Washington, who was born September 13, 1896 and was a native of Dunbar.
Washington was a graduate of Connellsville High School and shortly after playing sandlot baseball he was signed by the Negro League Homestead Grays. He made his debut with the Grays in 1921 and became one of the mainstays of that great franchise. He was also a veteran of World War I and served in France.
The team was originally based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The Grays won nine straight league titles from 1937-48 and three Negro World Series championships in that span. The team later split time between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. The Grays brought championship after championship to Washington in the 1940s, establishing the club as one of the most successful teams in the district蘑菇视频 history.
The Homestead Grays were formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey.
Washington played with notable Grays alumni Josh Gibson, James 鈥淐ool Papa鈥� Bell, Judy Johnson, Buck Leonard, Mart铆n Dihigo, 鈥淪mokey鈥� Joe Williams, and Vic Harris. Washington played 11 seasons with the Grays, and also spent time with the Pittsburgh Keystones, Pittsburgh Crawfords, and Newark Browns.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Washington was versatile, playing first base, third base and right field.
鈥淗e played first base and third base which is unusual,鈥� stated noted Negro League baseball historian Larry Lester. 鈥淗e had versatility.鈥�
In one game at Latrobe, Washington took the mound and tossed a no-hitter.
Bill Nunn of The Pittsburgh Courier in a column said third baseman Jasper 鈥淛ap鈥� Washington had, 鈥渁 pair of the biggest hands in baseball, a powerful arm, and a mighty bat. Jap蘑菇视频 colorful work, his fighting heart and withal, his good nature, has endeared him here.鈥�
In December 2020, Major League Baseball announced that based on recent decades of historical research, it was adding to the six historical 鈥渕ajor league鈥� designations it made in 1969. It classified the seven 鈥渕ajor Negro leagues鈥� as additional major leagues, thus recognizing statistics and approximately 3,400 players who played from 1920 to 1948.
A contemporary of many of the stars of Negro League baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates late Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner had this to say about Washington and other Negro League players: 鈥淥scar Charleston, Jasper 鈥楯ap鈥� Washington, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson could have made the grade easily had they been accepted.鈥�
Wagner concluded: 鈥淵es, down through the years, I have seen any number of Negro players who should have been in big league baseball.鈥�
The right-hand batting Washington posted impressive career numbers with a career batting average of .301 with four home runs, 110 RBIs and five stolen bases.
鈥淔rom what I鈥檝e gathered from interviews he was very tough and rugged,鈥� said Lester. 鈥淗e played with all the great ones. He played until the early 1930s.鈥�
When Washington passed away at the age of 63 on Feb. 16, 1960, it prompted Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports writer Brute Kramer to relate a story about Washington and the Homestead Grays and some doctored baseballs.
It seems that Kramer at one time had a team of ex-high school baseball stars from North Braddock Scott and other Tri-Boro schools. They had a string of early-season wins and decided to challenge the kings of the sandlots, the Grays. Cum Posey, Grays manager, took the challenge because they always drew well in Braddock.
Kramer soon realized they might have bitten off more than they could chew and sought advice from Heavy Torreyson, a former New York Highlander player. He initiated them into the business of 鈥淲et Baseballs.鈥�
They went to a local sporting goods store and purchased six dozen baseballs which Torreyson put in the freezer. They went about their business under the radar for six weeks until the game with the Grays at Edgar Thompson Field.
The late Homer Teeman was the umpire and they didn鈥檛 know if he knew about the baseballs.
Once the Grays hit the plate and started to whack away at the baseballs the gig was up.
Kramer remembered Washington stepping to the plate and smacking a ball toward left and after a few steps he turned toward manager Posey and said at the top of his lungs 鈥淏oss, those danged balls are wet.鈥� That started an argument.
To make a long story short the Braddock upstarts staggered to a confident 7-3 lead going to the seventh inning when the Grays loaded the bases with two out and Washington coming to bat.
The umpire Teeman walked over to the Braddock bench and asked for more baseballs and they knew the ruse was up because the pesky and smart Grays hitters fouled off all the wet baseballs over the railroad tracks. So what蘑菇视频 left but to toss in the dry ones?
Washington took a mighty whack and homered over the left field wall. Washington took four steps down the line and stopped with a smile of glee on his face and informed his boss, 鈥淭he dry ones are in now.鈥�
The Grays went on to knock seven consecutive belts out of the park and go on to give the kids from Braddock a 17-7 lacing.
After baseball, Washington was a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission and served as a judge of boxing bouts. At the time of his death he was employed by First National Bank at Fifth and Wood.
Washington passed away after a brief illness at West Penn Hospital.
Jasper 鈥淛ap鈥� Washington, a forgotten name from Fayette County baseball history.
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.