José Leblanc Vargas (1894 – January 31, 1922), nicknamed "Cheo" and "Count", was a Cuban baseball pitcher in Negro league baseball. He played most of his career with the midwestern Cuban Stars, including in the first two seasons of the original Negro National League.[2] His career earned run average of 2.31, as well as 7.8 wins above replacement (WAR) per 162, are among the best marks for qualified pitchers in the recognized Negro major leagues.[3][4]
| José Leblanc | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: 1894 Cienfuegos, Cuba | |
| Died: January 31, 1922 Santiago, Cuba | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| 1912, Almendares | |
| Last appearance | |
| January 30, 1922, for the Habana Reds | |
| Career statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 26–21 |
| Earned run average | 2.31 |
| Teams | |
Despite his dominance of Negro league baseball, little trace of Leblanc exists in the historical record.[5] In the Cuban League, he played for Almendares (also managed by the Stars' Tinti Molina) and Habana. He died during a winter game in Santiago, after being struck in the head with a bat by Antonio Susini during an extended argument between both teams and the umpires over a close play at home in a local championship series.
References edit
- ^ "Great Playing Beats Cubans" Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, Monday, May 10, 1920, Page 12, Column 5
- ^ "José Leblanc - Seamheads Negro Leagues Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "The Negro League Stars That MLB Kept Out — And Is Finally Recognizing". FiveThirtyEight. 25 February 2021.
- ^ Foolish Baseball (2023-09-26), Satchel Paige Dominated MLB in His 40s (And 50s) 1 Baseball Bits, retrieved 2023-09-29
- ^ Gary Ashwill (September 5, 2014). "JOSÉ LEBLANC, MYSTERY PITCHER OF THE CUBAN STARS". Agate Type. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads