Indianapolis Indians celebrate Negro Leagues legacy
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Vanessa Ivy Rose, granddaughter of Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, is keeping her family legacy alive and well. Photo: Justin L. Mack/Axios
The granddaughter of a Negro Leagues legend says celebrations like the one held Saturday at Victory Field are so much bigger than just a night at the ballpark.
Why it matters: Long-overlooked ballplayers of color are finally getting their recognition and reshaping the record books following the May announcement that their stats will be officially acknowledged by the MLB.
Driving the news: The Indianapolis Indians honored Negro Leagues players Saturday night when they donned Indianapolis Clowns jerseys and took on the Iowa Cubs.
- Vanessa Ivy Rose, granddaughter of multiple Hall of Famer Norman "Turkey" Stearnes and host of the ABC News podcast "Reclaimed: The Forgotten League," attended the game wearing a custom Clowns jersey.
- "This is honestly the biggest celebration I've ever seen for the Negro Leagues … I've been to many, but they do it right here," Rose told Axios. "These players contributed majorly to the sport, and to write the story of baseball and not include them is like a double punishment after what they've already endured."
State of play: Considered one of the best hitters of all time, Stearnes played for Negro Leagues teams in Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City, New York and Philadelphia.
- Once the MLB included stats from the Negro Leagues into the records, Stearnes' staggering .348 batting average placed him sixth on the list of all-time batting leaders.
What they're saying: "This is poetic justice," Rose said. "I'm still stunned that it happened, but new generations of people are learning about these forgotten legends."
Zoom in: Saturday's "Negro Leagues Night" at Victory Field included clips from Rose's podcast playing through the house speakers and stats from Negro Leagues players were shared on stadium screens.
- Rose also spoke to the team, signed copies of her book "Hall of Fame DNA" and threw out the first pitch.
Flashback: The Indianapolis ABCs were founded as an independent team in 1907 before joining the Negro National League in 1920, according to MLB.com.
- The ABCs had three different iterations that operated from 1920-1926, 1931-1933 and 1938-1939.
- The Clowns made their pro debut in 1943 as a Cincinnati team.
- After splitting time between Ohio and Indiana, the Clowns moved to Indy in 1946 and won three Negro American League titles across 12 seasons.