Negro League

I first witnessed the incomparable skills of Willie Mays as an 11-year-old when I was taken to Connie Mack Stadium — the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. I sat transfixed as I watched Mays roam the vast spaces of centerfield, running down deep flyballs and turning them into outs.

The words “justice delayed is justice denied” seem appropriate for this story, which centers on Major League Baseball’s attempt to right a century-old wrong. I am speaking about MLB’s recent announcement that it will incorporate the statistics of the Negro League’s baseball legends of the past into its official record books.

Toni Stone was the first woman to play regularly in a major-level professional baseball league. Turned away from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because of her race, she played on men’s teams in the Negro Leagues in the 1940s and 50s.