The "Black Aces"

With another Leap Day extending February into this wonderful Saturday, I thought we'd celebrate the little extra bit of Black History Month with a Showdown tour through the fifteen members of the "Black Aces"! Honestly, I had no idea of this exclusive group until I saw an ad for a special on the Black Aces that I believe aired on MLB Network (sadly, I don't have that channel). However, it got me reading up on the elite pitchers that've earned the title "Black Ace" since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.

Per my research, and unsurprising giving America's racist history, even when black players were allowed into the major leagues, they were disproportionately shifted to be position players. Apparently, racist attitudes extended to believing black pitchers were unable to handle the position. However, this mentality was quickly proven to be folly when black pitchers were given a chance. Mudcat Grant, the first black pitcher to win 20 games in a season in the AL, coined the phrase "black aces." At this moment, there are 15 Black Aces (with David Price earning membership with his 2012 Cy Young season).

To become a Black Ace, an African American pitcher has to win 20 games in one season. Unfortunately, this eliminates latin pitchers such as Luis Tiant and Pedro Martinez, but it's a group that will hopefully gain more membership despite the African American player pool continuing to shrink and starting pitchers gaining less and less and less wins every year. But there's hope, as we see players like Marcus Stroman put together 33 start seasons with ERAs hovering at or below 3.00.... it's only a matter of time before another star earns the (super cool) title of BLACK ACE!

There are very, very few African American starting pitchers in the big leagues today and Marcus Stroman's sensational 2017 season (where he only accumulated 13 wins) shows how hard it is for a pitcher to join the ranks of the Black Aces!

And now -- a MLB Showdown walkthrough of every starting pitcher to earn the title of Black Ace!

DON NEWCOMBE: The first Black Ace, Don Newcombe was an absolute pitching force for the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers! Newcombe burst onto the scene in 1949 with a 3.17 ERA and 17-8 record, pitching 19 complete games and winning Rookie of the Year award as the Dodgers made it to the World Series. He next won 19 games in 1950 before putting together a 20-9 season with a  3.28 ERA in 1951. Unfortunately the Dodgers fell ONE GAME short of the NL Pennant behind the Giants. That was the first of the Black Ace seasons... and Newcombe would likely win another 40 or so games, but he missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons while serving in the military. After a rust-shake-off season in 1954, Newcombe came roaring back in 1955 and 1956 -- winning 20 games (3.20) and 27 games (3.06 ERA) respectively. The Dodgers won the pennant in both seasons, splitting world series championships with their cross-town rival, the Yankees. That 1956 season is especially special -- Newcombe took home the first ever Cy Young award and won the NL MVP!! It was that sensational season that I decided to use to represent the first Black Ace!

SAM JONES: Honestly the most difficult pitcher to find a decent picture of, Sam Jones arrived in San Francisco in 1959 after making the 1955 All Star game with the Cubs and going 26-22 (and a season with a 2.88 ERA) in a pair of seasons in St. Louis. Jones took his game to another level with the Giants, leading the NL with a 2.83 ERA and finishing second in the Cy Young voting to the White Sox's Earl Wynn (who had a significantly higher ERA). Jones finished his career with a career 3.59 ERA and led the NL in K/9 in four seasons!

If the Giants had gotten any offense from players not named Mays or Cepeda, Jones' spectacular season probably would have led to pennant glory. Really, 1959 Jones was really tricky to create, as he had a bizarrely versatile season! Jones pitched just over 270 innings and made 35 starts, which would be relatively usual... but he also made 15 appearances out of the bullpen! Of all the cards I've made, Jones was the first with double digit Complete Games (16) and Games Finished (12). He also pitched four shutouts while earning 5 saves. Accordingly, I made a card that CAN go super deep if he's rolling well (would be a Control 1 in the 9th) and is more dominant than usual early in the game (Tier 1 vs his Tier 2 normal status). I hope you guys enjoy this unique pitcher who deserves to be remembered!

MUDCAT GRANT: The man, the legend who coined the phrase "Black Ace" -- Mudcat Grant!! The Twins pitching legend achieved the feat in 1965, a year after he came to Minnesota from Cleveland. Oddly, Grant only pitched in Minnesota less than four years, but as a Twins fan, I know of Grant from his superb 1965 effort (which helped the Twins win 102 games and the AL Pennant). Forming a formidable duo with Jim Kaat, Mudcat won 21 games with a 3.30 ERA, making the All Star game and finishing 6th in the AL MVP voting. In the World Series that year, Mudcat became the first African American to win a World Series game for an AL team. The next year, Mudcat only went 13-13, despite a better ERA... and then ceased to be a full-time starting pitcher, eventually leading the majors in games appeared in during the 1970 season (80). Fun bit of trivia -- Mudcat was the first ever pitcher to appear for the Montreal Expos!

His 1965 card is a really fun Tier 3 card that'll be a perfect ace or no. 2 starter in any league!

EARL WILSON: Although Denny McLain's sensational 1968 season is the first thing that most people remember about those World Series Tigers, they couldn't have overcome Bob Gibson's Cardinals without the second half of their dynamic duo, Earl Wilson!! Wilson's 1968 season resulted in a 2.85 ERA as he helped the Tigers climb the mountain... but it was his prior season that earned him a spot in the illustrious Black Aces! Wilson went 22-11 with a 3.27 ERA in 1967, finishing 12th in the MVP vote and helping the Tigers to 91 wins. From 1962 until his retirement in 1970, Wilson only finished with an ERA of 4.00 or above twice, making him a consistently strong starting pitcher for nearly a decade. His card will be extremely useful in any league... it's a Tier 3, but with a Control 6 and no doubles for under 600 points, I know a lot of managers will seek to use him as their ace!

BOB GIBSON: Hall-of-famer and absolute legend, Bob Gibson is arguably the most fearsome starting pitcher to ever take the rubber in the big leagues. Between 1965 and 1970, he made 200 starts, leading to: 129 complete games, 33 shut outs, 119 wins, and a 2.44 ERA over a six year span!!! For his career, Gibson amassed 251 wins, 255 complete games, and a career ERA under 3.00 (2.91). Just imagine if he didn't have to wait until he was well over 23 years old to pitch in the majors!

Gibson had several seasons worthy of joining the Black Ace fraternity: 1965 (20-12, 3.07 ERA); 1966 (21-12, 2.44 ERA); 1968 (22-9, 1.12 ERA); 1969 (20-13, 2.18 ERA); 1970 (23-7, 3.12 ERA). Of the five seasons, I picked his (and all pitchers since the deadball era's) peak season -- the otherworldly 1968 year where he won the NL MVP, Cy Young, Gold Glove and helped the Cardinals win the NL Pennant. Gibson's unbelievably 1.12 ERA and 0.853 WHIP were sensational enough to slot him in for the ONLY Tier 0 starting pitching card we've ever made.... and it's an IP 9 (thanks to the 28 complete games in 34 starts, including 13 shutouts). Seriously, it doesn't get stronger than this card!!!

FERGUSON JENKINS: Fergie earned the mantle of Black Ace in SEVEN seasons, including six seasons in a row (1967-1972). During that six season stretch, Fergie averaged 21 wins, a 3.00 ERA, 23 complete games and 4 shut outs each season for the Chicago Cubs! He also averaged an incredible 306 IP per season. Fergie would go on to post another Black Ace level season in 1974, his first with the Texas Rangers, going 25-12 with a 2,82 ERA and 29 complete games. While he finished second in the 1974 Cy Young voting, his best season was the 1971 season -- 24-13, 2.77 ERA and 30 CG with a 325 IP. Jenkins also almost never surrendered a walk, something he was renowned for throughout his career. It's a shame Jenkins just fell short of 300 career wins, but he's nonetheless the greatest starting pitcher for the Cubs from the liveball era and a deserving Hall of Famer!

AL DOWNING: Primarily pitching for the Yankees and the Dodgers, Al Downing brought high-level pitching to the mound for baseball's marque franchises. Incredibly, from 1963 until 1976, 3.86 was Downing's highest ERA and he was below a 3.00 ERA on five occasions. Downing became a Black Ace in 1971, a season where he won the NL Comeback Player of the Year award. Going 20-9, Downing had a stellar 2.68 ERA (better than Cy Young winning and fellow Black Ace Fergie Jenkins that year) and league-leading 5 shutouts. Paired with fellow ace Don Sutton, the Dodgers won 89 games in 1971. Despite his status as a Black Ace and consistently low ERAs, Downing may be best remembered for another key role he played in baseball history -- he's the pitcher who surrendered the 715th Home Run hit by Hank Aaron. Honestly, this card just shows how impressive that HR was, as Downing was no scrub!

VIDA BLUE: Continuing the trend of Black Aces from the 1971 season, here comes Vida Blue!! Blue would go on to earn the title again in 1972 and 1974, leading the rotation for the A's as they went for the early 70s three-peat. However, his best year was in 1971... simply put, Blue was out of this world good!! He went 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA and 0.952 ERA... leading the AL in both ERA and WHIP. He also led the AL with his 8.7 k/9... all in the course of pitching 312 innings and leading the majors with 8 shut outs! As a result, Blue won the AL Cy Young AND MVP in 1971!! Winner of over 200 games, as you can see from his card, peak Vida Blue is about as good as any pitcher out there and a worthy three-time winner of the "Black Ace" mantle!

JR RICHARD: One of the most tragic "what if" players to ever take the rubber, as set forth in the recent article on this site, Richard first became a full-time starter in the 1975 season and starting going on an absolute tear until a stroke tragically forced him into retirement in 1980. However, during that brief six year stretch, Richard won 96 games in 199 starts with a 3.01 ERA and 8.4 K/9. In 1978 and 1979, he finished in the top five for Cy Young voting... and while 1980 was shaping up to be his best season (and a Tier 1 outing), Richard became a Black Ace during 1976. In that season, Richard went 20-15 with a 2.75 ERA and 14 complete games. While Richard was the lone ace at that time, he'd soon be joined by Joe Niekro in 1979 and Nolan Ryan in 1980.... that 1980 Astros team has to be one of the greatest "what if" teams in baseball history, as they were ONE game from winning the pennant with their best pitcher (yeah, I said it) out of commission! If Richard had been healthy, there's a strong possibility the Astros would've won their first World Series well before the 2017 season (without any sign-stealing scandal involved). As it stands, we can still remember Richard as one of the few incredible pitchers who've earned the title of BLACK ACE!!

MIKE NORRIS: The second Oakland A's pitcher to crack the list, Norris accomplished his Black Ace season during the aforementioned 1980 season. Norris finished second in the Cy Young voting while going 22-9, with a 2.53 ERA and winning the gold glove! He also pitched 24 complete games in his 33 starts, leading to an unfathomable 8.606 IP/start!! Accordingly, he's basically original Randy Johnson, but with a lot more GB outs vs K outs. I have a strong feeling he's going to be a popular set builder among managers who favor infield defense and having lots of outs on a chart. Sadly, this season was more of the exception than the rule for Norris, but he made an All Star game with a 3.75 ERA the next season.

DWIGHT GOODEN: Here's one that I know a lot of you were waiting for -- the best starting pitching season since the mound was lowered after the 1968 year of the pitcher! Gooden's second big league season put him in the Black Ace club, as he went 24-4 with a league leading 1.53 ERA and super strong 0.965 WHIP. He led the NL in IP and complete games, while also pitching 8 shut outs. As a result, the Mets won 98 games and Gooden became a bonafide superstar!! He kept going super strong in 1986 as the ace who led a super strong Mets rotation, pacing them to the World Series title. However, the 1985 season is the one that stands out in people's minds with the epic ERA..... how good was he that year? He had a 13.3 WAR in 1985, which is INSANELY good, obviously. So enjoy one of the best SP cards I've ever made:

DAVE STEWART: I feel like Stewart (like the rest of the Bash Brothers A's from the late 80s) has been unfairly forgotten re: how dominant he was! The A's went to three straight world series at the end of the 80s, with Stewart winning 20 games or more each season from 1987-1990. In those four seasons, Stewart finished in the top four of Cy Young voting every season and averaged 21 wins. His best year was 1990, where he put up a 2.56 ERA while leading the AL in starts, complete games, shutouts, and IP.

DONTRELLE WILLIS: With his incredible leg-kick, Willis was the first member of the Black Aces in over a decade. After helping the upstart Marlins win the 2003 World Series, Willis managed to survive the Marlins' tradition of purging their team and was a true ace during the 2005 season. The Cy Young runner up, Willis went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA while leading the NL with 7 complete games and 5 shut outs. While Dontrelle unfortunately fell on hard times before long, his 2005 season was a remarkable pinnacle (and a super cool looking card thanks to Matt R's work).

CC SABATHIA: Boy oh boy, you knew this stud had to be a member of the black aces. He got really close in 2007 with a 19-7 Cy Young winning season, and he was at his most ace-like in 2008 when he went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and 7 CG in 17 starts with the Brewers... When he joined the Yankees in 2009, CC again came up to the razor's edge of the Black Ace club with a 19-8 season while helping the Yankees win their last World Series championship. The next year, CC officially joined the club with his 21-7 season and 3.18 ERA. He won 19 games again in 2011, giving CC a five year stretch with a Cy Young and top-five finishes every season in the Cy Young voting. So enjoy this Tier 3 bad boy from 2010 (and ask Matt for the Cy Young Indians and the Brewers tank cards on Twitter!).

DAVID PRICE: The final member of the Black Ace fraternity, Price won 20 games in his Cy Young season in 2012. He also got super close to the club in 2010 with a 19-6 season. While he's gone on to be a stud pitcher for the Tigers, Blue Jays, and Red Sox, Price's best seasons were in Tampa Bay. A Tier 2 with no doubles, David Price went 20-5 and led Tampa to 90 wins (which still wasn't good enough to win the AL East). Price almost joined the club again in 2015, when he was the sensational deadline acquisition by the Blue Jays, finishing 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA. As much crap as he's gotten for his performance in Boston, between 2010 and 2018, Price had a 3.18 ERA (never higher than X) and averaged 15 wins with 198 IP/season. His worst season was a 3.99 ERA where he led the majors in IP, showing that even at his worst, he can be a work horse. This was all done in the American League..... so I'm very optimistic for him to bounce back with the Dodgers, perhaps even joining the illustrious Black Aces again in 2020!

Alright, that's the complete grouping of Black Aces! I hope you enjoy these cards and some history about these pitchers.... and happy Black History Month!