Birmingham, Alabama – Baseball history has been rewritten with the unveiling of new statistics that now recognize Josh Gibson as the leading hitter in major league history. The official records of the game now show Gibson with a career batting average of .372, surpassing the legendary Tyrus Raymond Cobb by six points.

After three-and-a-half years of recognition, Major League Baseball has integrated a statistical database covering records from the Negro Leagues that operated from 1920 to 1948. This move has led to some discomfort among baseball enthusiasts, as Negro League stars have now claimed top spots on career and single-season leaderboards.

The timing of this revelation aligns with a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, next month. MLB acknowledges that Negro League statistics may always be a work in progress due to the exclusion of barnstorming games from official statistics. These games were crucial for Negro League teams’ financial stability, but were not historically included in the records.

Negro League numbers have been subject to meticulous research and scrutiny, with a focus on authenticated box scores rather than game accounts. This methodical approach has led to the recognition of Josh Gibson’s .466 single-season batting average in 1943, establishing Gibson as a record-breaker in the annals of baseball history.

While the revised records have been certified as official by MLB, the unveiling of these new statistics may not sway all critics. The debate surrounding the impact of segregation on baseball history continues, with Larry Lester, a prominent Negro Leagues researcher, emphasizing that the greatness of a ballplayer transcends racial boundaries.

The painstaking research and validation of Negro League statistics not only honor the achievements of players like Oscar Charleston and Turkey Stearnes but also challenge longstanding narratives in baseball history. The evolution of baseball statistics serves as a testament to the resilience and excellence of players who have long been overlooked in the traditional retelling of the sport’s history.