Negro Major Leagues 1920
| Negro National League | W-L |
| Chicago American Giants (P) | 32-13 |
| Detroit Stars | 35-23 |
| Kansas City Monarchs | 41-29 |
| Indianapolis ABCs | 39-35 |
| Cuban Stars | 21-24 |
| St. Louis Giants | 25-32 |
| Dayton Marcos | 8-18 |
| Chicago Giants | 4-24 |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners
Negro Major Leagues 1921
| Negro National League | W-L |
| Chicago American Giants (P) | 42-22 |
| Kansas City Monarchs | 50-31 |
| St. Louis Giants | 40-28 |
| Detroit Stars | 32-32 |
| Indianapolis ABCs | 35-38 |
| Cincinnati Cubans | 29-39 |
| Columbus Buckeyes | 25-38 |
| Chicago Giants | 10-32 |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners
Negro Major Leagues 1922
| Negro National League | W-L |
| Chicago American Giants (P) | 36-23 |
| Indianapolis ABCs | 46-33 |
| Kansas City Monarchs | 46-33 |
| St. Louis Stars | 35-26 |
| Detroit Stars | 43-32 |
| Pittsburgh Keystones | 16-21 |
| Cuban Stars | 19-31 |
| Cleveland Tate Stars | 17-29 |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners
Negro Major Leagues 1923
| Negro National League | W-L |
| Kansas City Monarchs (P) | 57-33 |
| Detroit Stars | 41-29 |
| Chicago American Giants | 41-29 |
| Indianapolis ABCs | 45-34 |
| Cuban Stars | 27-31 |
| St.Louis Stars | 25-40 |
| Toledo Tigers | 11-15 |
| Milwaukee Bears | 14-32 |
| Birmingham Black Barons | 15-23 |
| Memphis Red Sox | 13-6 |
| Eastern Colored League | |
| Hilldale (P) | 32-17 |
| Cuban Stars (East) | 23-17 |
| Brooklyn Royal Giants | 18-18 |
| Bacharach Giants | 19-23 |
| Lincoln Giants | 16-22 |
| Baltimore Black Sox | 19-30 |
| Year | NNL Team | ECL Team | ||
| Colored World Series | ||||
| 1923 | Kansas City Monarchs | NP | Hilldale | NP |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners NP = Not Played.
Negro Major Leagues 1924
| Negro National League | W-L |
| Kansas City Monarchs (P) | 55-22 |
| Chicago American Giants | 49-24 |
| Detroit Stars | 37-29 |
| St. Louis Stars | 42-34 |
| Memphis Red Sox | 29-37 |
| Birmingham Black Barons | 34-44 |
| Cuban Stars | 16-33 |
| Cleveland Browns | 15-34 |
| Eastern Colored League | |
| Hilldale (P) | 47-22 |
| Baltimore Black Sox | 30-19 |
| Lincoln Giants | 31-25 |
| Bacharach Giants | 30-29 |
| Harrisburg Giants | 26-28 |
| Brooklyn Royal Giants | 16-25 |
| Washington Potomoacs | 21-37 |
| Cuban Stars (East) | 15-31 |
| Year | NNL Team | ECL Team | ||
| Colored World Series | ||||
| 1924 | Kansas City Monarchs | 5 | Hilldale | 4 |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners
Negro Major Leagues 1925
| Negro National League | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Total W-L |
| Kansas City Monarchs (P1) | 31-12 | 31-11 | 62-23 |
| St. Louis Stars (P2) | 31-14 | 38-12 | 69-27 |
| Detroit | 29-30 | 28-21 | 57-40 |
| Chicago American Giants | 26-22 | 28-18 | 54-40 |
| Cubans | 12-13 | 10-12 | 22-28 |
| Memphis Red Sox | 18-24 | 12-24 | 30-48 |
| Indianapolis ABCs | 13-24 | 4-33 | 17-57 |
| Birmingham Black Barons | 14-33 | 10-16 | 24-49 |
| Eastern Colored League | |||
| Hilldale (P) | 52-15 | ||
| Harrisburg Giants | 37-19 | ||
| Baltimore Black Sox | 31-19 | ||
| Bacharach Giants | 26-27 | ||
| Brooklyn Royal Giants | 13-20 | ||
| Wilmington & | 13-22 | ||
| Cuban Stars (East) | 15-26 | ||
| Lincoln Giants | 3-39 |
| Year | Winners | Games | Runners-Up | Games |
| NNL Playoffs | ||||
| 1925 | Kansas City Monarchs | 4 | St. Louis Stars | 3 |
| Colored World Series | ||||
| 1925 | Hilldale (ECL) | 5 | Kansas City Monarchs (NNL) | 1 |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners NP = Not Played & = Out of League 18 July 1925
Negro Major Leagues 1926
| Negro National League | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Total W-L |
| Kansas City Monarchs (P1) | 35-12 | 22-9 | 57-21 |
| Chicago American Giants (P2) | 28-16 | 29-7 | 57-23 |
| St. Louis Stars | 29-18 | 20-12 | 49-30 |
| Detroit Stars | 34-17 | 16-25 | 50-42 |
| Indianapolis ABCs | 28-18 | 15-27 | 43-45 |
| Cuban Stars | 6-27 | 13-20 | 19-47 |
| Dayton Marcos | 7-32 | 0-5 | 7-37 |
| Cleveland Elites | 5-32 | 2-9 | 7-41 |
| Eastern Colored League | |||
| Bacharach Giants (P) | 34-20 | ||
| Harrisburg Giants | 25-17 | ||
| Hilldale | 34-24 | ||
| Cuban Stars (East) | 28-21 | ||
| Lincoln Giants | 19-22 | ||
| Baltimore Black Sox | 18-29 | ||
| Brooklyn Royal Giants | 7-20 | ||
| Newark Stars & | 1-10 |
| Year | Winners | Runners-Up | ||
| NNL Playoffs | P1 v P2 Champions | |||
| 1926 | Chicago American Giants | 5 | Kansas City Monarchs | 4 |
| Colored World Series | ||||
| 1926 | Chicago American Giants (NNL) | 5 | Bacharach Giants (ECL) | 3 |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners NP = Not Played & = Disbanded Mid-Season.
Negro Major Leagues 1927
| Negro National League | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Total W-L |
| Chicago American Giants (P1) | 32-14 | 24-15 | 56-29 |
| Kansas City Monarchs (P2) | 36-18 | 18-11 | 54-29 |
| St. Louis Stars | 32-19 | ||
| Detroit Stars | 29-22 | 24-24 | 53-46 |
| Birmingham Black Barons | 25-29 | 29-15 | 54-44 |
| Memphis Red Sox | 19-25 | ||
| Cuban Stars | 15-23 | ||
| Cleveland Hornets | 16-38 | ||
| Eastern Colored League | |||
| Bacharach Giants (P) | 29-17 | 25-18 | 54-35 |
| Baltimore Black Sox | 23-17 | 12-18 | 35-35 |
| Cuban Stars (East) | 24-19 | 9-13 | 33-32 |
| Harrisburg Giants | 25-20 | 16-12 | 41-32 |
| Hilldale | 17-28 | 19-17 | 36-35 |
| Brooklyn Royal Giants | 10-21 | 5-10 | 15-31 |
| Year | Winners | Games | Runners-Up | Games |
| NNL Playoffs | P1 v P2 Winners | |||
| 1927 | Chicago American Giants | 4 | Birmingham Black Barons | 0 |
| ECL Playoffs | P1 v P2 Winners | |||
| 1927 | Bacharach Giants | Won Both Halves | ||
| Colored World Series | ||||
| 1927 | Chicago American Giants (NNL) | 5 | Bacharach Giants (ECL) | 3 |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners NP = Not Played Note: Eastern Colored League Folded after 1927 Season.
Negro Major Leagues 1928
| Negro National League | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Total W-L |
| St. Louis Stars (P1) | 32-8 | 34-18 | 66-26 |
| Kansas City Monarchs (P2) | 24-15 | 26-16 | 50-31 |
| Detroit Stars | 29-13 | 25-24 | 54-37 |
| Chicago American Giants | 24-20 | 30-17 | 54-37 |
| Birmingham Black Barons | 19-28 | 25-26 | 44-54 |
| Memphis Red Sox | 16-25 | 14-23 | 30-48 |
| Cleveland Tigers | 19-53 | ||
| Cuban Stars | 12-37 | ||
| Eastern Colored League | |||
| No League in 1928 |
| Year | Winners | Games | Runners-Up | Games |
| NNL Playoffs | P1 v P2 Playoffs | |||
| 1928 | St. Louis Stars | 5 | Chicago American Giants | 4 |
| Colored World Series | ||||
| 1928 | Not Applicable |
Key / Legend: (P) = Pennant Winners (P1) = 1st Half Pennant Winners (P2) = 2nd Half Pennant Winners NP = Not Played
The Negro National League and American Negro League returned in 1933 and lasted until 1952 as Major Leagues (although only until 1946 are recognised as such by MLB when Jackie Robinson became the first ever African-American to play in Major League Baseball when he played for the Montreal Royals).
Report
Kansas City Monarchs won the Colored World Series in 1924, Hilldale in 1925 and Chicago American Giants in 1926 and 1927, the only years during this period it was played. There was no league in 1932, the most difficult year of the Great Depression.
With Segregation in American Sport as with practically all parts of US Society at the time, the top African-American Sportsmen played in the Negro Leagues as they called themselves at the time. These Baseball Leagues were the National Basketball Association of the time, equal with the Major Leagues as we know them today, although excluded from playing from them due to their skin colour, race or ethnic background.
From interviews with fans conducted by Dick Clark and Larry Lester of the Society for American Baseball Research it can be seen that they saw the Leagues as Eastern and Western Leagues, even though most Leagues went by the name Negro National League and American Negro League. The Statistics gleaned from what was reported in the newspapers give only a partial record, and show the top players were the equal of the top players in Major League Baseball at the time, something which has been recognised recenltly (2021) by MLB.
The term Negro for African-Americans has fallen out of favour in recent times, much like the term Tinker for Irish Travelers, whose conditions have often been compared to African-Americans. It has been kept here and by MLB to prevent re-writing of history.
There were many players with Irish surnames or family names on the teams, perhaps as many as two dozen in 1920 alone. Those who won the Colored World Series from 1924 to 1927 are listed below. Hurley McNair, Walter Moore, Harold Morris, and Wilber Rogan of Kansas City Monarchs in 1924, Luther Farrell of Hilldale in 1925, and George Harney of Chicago American Giants in 1926 and 1927.
Players with Irish Names (Colored World Series Winners)
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | Team |
| 1924 | ||||
| Hurley McNair | rf | of | p | Kansas City Monarchs |
| Walter Moore (Dobie) | ss | Kansas City Monarchs | ||
| Harold Morris | p | Kansas City Monarchs | ||
| Wilber Rogan (Bullet Joe) | p | cf | of | Kansas City Monarchs |
| 1925 | ||||
| Luther Farrell | p | Hilldale | ||
| 1926 | ||||
| George Harney | p | Chicago American Giants | ||
| 1927 | ||||
| George Harney | p | rf | Chicago American Giants |
Key / Legend: p = Pitcher, ss = Short Stop, cf = Center Field, rf = Right Field, of = Outfield.
References
Bibliography
[1] Dick Clark & Larry Lester (1994) “League Standings 1920-1954” The Negro Leagues Book. The Society for American Baseball Research. Cleveland, Ohio. 1994.
Websites
[2] Major League Baseball (2019) Standings [Internet] Available from: https://www.mlb.com/standings [Accessed 29 August 2019]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Hugh Mulcahy.
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 17 February 2021
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2021
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.