José_Leblanc

José Leblanc

José Leblanc

Cuban baseball player

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Leblanc and the second or maternal family name is Vargas.

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]

Quick Facts Professional debut, Last appearance ...

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

  1. [1]
    "Great Playing Beats Cubans" Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, Monday, May 10, 1920, Page 12, Column 5
  2. [2]
    "José Leblanc - Seamheads Negro Leagues Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
  3. [3]
    "The Negro League Stars That MLB Kept Out — And Is Finally Recognizing". FiveThirtyEight. 25 February 2021.
  4. [4]
    Foolish Baseball (2023-09-26), Satchel Paige Dominated MLB in His 40s (And 50s) 1 Baseball Bits, retrieved 2023-09-29
  5. [5]
    Gary Ashwill (September 5, 2014). "JOSÉ LEBLANC, MYSTERY PITCHER OF THE CUBAN STARS". Agate Type. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
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