Today
we celebrate early Negro Leagues legend Bruce Petway, who falls under
the radar somewhat though he is considered one of the greatest NBL
catchers of all time:
Leaving a career in medicine to pursue baseball back in 1906, he would
go on to play approximately 20 years for legendary teams such as the
Leland Giants and Cuban X-Giants between 1906 and 1925.
A fantastic defensive backstop, he is reported to be one of the first
catchers to throw out potential base-stealers at second base from a
squatting position.
In 1910, he threw out Ty Cobb three times out of three attempts while in
Cuba for an exhibition event, a season that also saw him bat .397 which
showed that he was a threat at the plate as well.
In 1912 he also led the Cuban League in stolen bases with 20, something
you do NOT see everyday throughout baseball history, regardless of which
league we’re talking about.
Having the great Rube Foster as a mentor early in his career, Petway
went on to also serve as a player-manager for the Detroit Stars in the
1920’s, while also contributing on the field, especially at the plate
when he posted batting averages of .313, .268, .337 and .341 between
1921 and 1924.
A great player that should not be forgotten with time, and a great addition to my running “Legends of NBL Baseball”.