Remembering Cleveland's rich Negro League history

Zoom in: The city had several professional Negro baseball teams, most notably the Tate Stars, from 1919-23, the Cubs (not associated with the Chicago MLB team) in 1931 and the Buckeyes, who existed from 1942 to 1950.

• The Buckeyes played at League Park in the historic Hough neighborhood and won the Negro World Series in 1945.

The intrigue: MLB's announcement follows years of debate and recommendations from the independent Negro League Statistical Review Committee.

• The move elevates the statistics of players like Josh Gibson, who is now the all-time leader in career batting average over Ty Cobb, and Satchel Paige, who is now third all-time in single-season ERA.

Between the lines: Paige pitched five games for the Cleveland Cubs, who played their games on a field near the corner of Beyerle Road and Hugo Avenue.

Fun facts: Buckeyes star centerfielder Sam Jethroe went on to win MLB's Rookie of the Year for the National League's Boston Braves in 1950.

• The Cleveland Browns baseball team was managed by Hall of Famer Sol White, who authored "History of Colored Base Ball," the first comprehensive guide to Black baseball, in 1907.