This list of Negro league postseason games includes postseason participants of black baseball prior to the organization of any traditional Negro league and goes through to the collapse of segregated baseball after Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line in 1946. Games include self-declared, regional and league champions, primarily in the "major league" era of Negro league baseball from 1920 to 1948. While black baseball did first play in 1867, postseason baseball can only be traced to 1913. As such, series length varied from time to time from best-of-two to best-of-five to even best-of-fourteen, and in postseason history there were thirteen ties (usually due to curfew rules). Negro baseball did continue after 1948, but it was at a quality that was considered minor by news of the time and historians. Historical research has revealed the existence of 23 years in which there was a postseason series held between Negro league teams. Box scores exist for just a fraction of the games.
1913 and 1921 While the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1948 are retroactively considered "major league", black baseball had existed for several years prior, with varying levels of organization. 1913 was a matchup of two teams considered the best of their regions: the New York Lincoln Giants of the East, and the Chicago American Giants of the West (as a whole, the "West" region for baseball at any level was considered to be in the city of Chicago or St. Louis, with the actual West Coast being reserved to other interests). Of all the matchups in Negro league playoff history, this one ended up being the most comprehensive of them all, as it was played over the span of three weeks in two different cities with fourteen games played. New York won eight games while Chicago won five (game two ended in a tie).
1913 1913 Championship Series: New York Lincoln Giants vs. Chicago American Giants (New York wins series 8–5–1) July 18, 1913 at Olympic Field (Harlem, New York): New York 8, Chicago 3 July 19, 1913 at Olympic Field (Harlem, New York): 11–11 tie July 20, 1913 at Olympic Field (Harlem, New York): New York 5, Chicago 4 July 20, 1913 at Olympic Field (Harlem, New York): Chicago 6, New York 5 July 27, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): New York 8, Chicago 0 July 28, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): New York 3, Chicago 1 July 29, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Chicago 7, New York 6 July 30, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Chicago 9, New York 5 July 31, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Chicago 2, New York 1 August 2, 1913 ar Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): New York 9, Chicago 3 August 9, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): New York 11, Chicago 6 August 12, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): New York 3, Chicago 2 August 12, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Chicago 3, New York 3 August 13, 1913 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): New York 4, Chicago 1
Box scores Game 1 Team123456789RHEChicago0000030003112New York01400003X8152W: Smokey Joe Williams (1–0) L: Charles Dougherty (0–1)HRs: none
Game 2 Team123456789RHEChicago00440030011132New York70000003111162HRs: none
Game 3 Team123456789RHEChicago1000010204120New York0000400015101W: Smokey Joe Williams (2–0) L: Bill Lindsay (0–1)HRs: none
Game 4 Team123456789RHEChicago0000102036155New York0020210005111W: Charles Dougherty (1–1) L: Smokey Joe Williams (2–1)HRs: Bill Pierce (2)
Game 5 Team123456789RHENew York0030031108100Chicago000000000065W: Smokey Joe Williams (3–1) L: Bill Lindsay (0–2)HRs: Smokey Joe Williams (1)
Game 6 Team123456789RHENew York101000100382Chicago000001000173W: Lee Wade (1–0) L: Bill Gatewood (0–1)HRs: none
Game 7 Team123456789RHENew York1000000146124Chicago2210010017113W: Bill Lindsay (1–2) L: Lee Wade (1–1)HRs: none
Game 8 Team123456789RHENew York400000100593Chicago31012101X9153W: Bill Gatewood (1–1) L: Smokey Joe Williams (3–2)HRs: none
Game 9 Team123456789RHENew York100000000151Chicago00020000X252W: Bill Lindsay (2–2) L: Lee Wade (1–2)HRs: none
Game 10 Team123456789RHENew York1040002209145Chicago000002001384W: Smokey Joe Williams (4–2) L: Bill Gatewood (1–2)HRs: none
Game 11 Team123456789RHENew York01350110011144Chicago3030000006102W: Smokey Joe Williams (5–2) L: Bill Gatewood (1–3)HRs: Ben Taylor (1)
Game 12 Team123456789RHENew York1010010003102Chicago100000010282W: Lee Wade (2–2) L: Sam Crawford (0–1)HRs: none
Game 13 Team123456789RHENew York000000000042Chicago00100002X380W: Steel Arm Johnny Taylor (1–0) L: Smokey Joe Williams (5–3)HRs: none
Game 14 Team123456789RHENew York0000100304110Chicago000000001190W: Judy Gans (1–0) L: Bill Gatewood (1–4)HRs: none
1921 The first Negro National League formed in 1920 with eight teams, with Rube Foster leading the way with his Chicago American Giants. While the organization of a league did not mean a uniform number of games, the league pennant was generally awarded to the team with the best winning percentage, although there would be numerous occasions when a League Championship Series would be held. At the conclusion of the 1921 season, Chicago had won their second straight NNL pennant. They accepted a challenge to meet the team considered the best of the East Coast in the Hilldale Club (two years later, the team was one of the founding members of the Eastern Colored League). Six games were played over the course of eleven days in three different cities as Hilldale won the series three games to two.
1921 Championship Series: Chicago American Giants vs. Hilldale Club (Hilldale wins series 3–2–1) October 4, 1921 at Baker Bowl (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): Chicago 5, Hilldale 2 October 5, 1921 at Baker Bowl (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): Hilldale 4, Chicago 3 October 10, 1921 at Harlan Field (Wilmington, Delaware): Chicago 5, Hilldale 2 October 12, 1921 at Third Street and Erie Avenue Grounds (Camden, New Jersey): 5–5 tie October 13, 1921 at Hilldale Park, Darby, Pennsylvania): Hilldale 15, Chicago 5 October 15, 1921 at Hilldale Park, Darby, Pennsylvania): Hilldale 7, Chicago 1
Box scores Game 1 Team123456789RHEChicago200200010571Hilldale20000000X254W: Bill Holland (1–0) L: Willis Flournoy (0–1)HRs: Cristobal Torriente (1)
Game 2 Team123456789RHEChicago210000000362Hilldale03000100X492W: Phil Cockrell (1–0) L: Tom Johnson (0–1)HRs: none
Game 3 Team123456789RHEHilldale010000100260Chicago30002000X570W: Bill Holland (2–0) L: Dick Whitworth (0–1)HRs: George Dixon (1)
Game 4 Team123456789RHEChicago011000021581Hilldale0000310105111HRs: George Johnson (1)
Game 5 Team123456789RHEChicago2300000--561Hilldale001293X--15121W: Phil Cockrell (2–0) L: Tom Williams (0–1)HRs: George Johnson (2); Phil Cockrell (1)
Game 6 Team123456789RHEChicago000001000151Hilldale04010200X7112W: Dick Whitworth (1–1) L: Bill Holland (2–1)HRs: none
Colored World Series era In 1924, the Negro National League and the Eastern Colored League agreed to meet in a postseason series of the two best teams in each league, which would be called a "Colored World Series". Since its inception, the National League had done a split-season schedule with first and second halves.
1924
1924 Colored World Series: Kansas City Monarchs vs. Hilldale Club (Monarchs wins series 5–4–1) October 3, 1924: Baker Bowl (Philadelphia): Kansas City 6, Hilldale 2 October 4, 1924: Baker Bowl (Philadelphia): Hilldale 11, Kansas City 0 October 5, 1924: Maryland Baseball Park (Baltimore, Maryland): 6–6 tie (thirteen innings) October 6, 1924: Maryland Baseball Park (Baltimore, Maryland): Hilldale 4, Kansas City 3 October 11, 1924: Muehlebach Park (Kansas City, Missouri): Hilldale 5, Kansas City 3 October 12, 1924: Muehlebach Park (Kansas City, Missouri): Kansas City 6, Hilldale 5 October 14, 1924: Muehlebach Park (Kansas City, Missouri): Kansas City 4, Hilldale 3 (twelve innings) October 18, 1924: Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Kansas City 3, Hilldale 2 October 19, 1924: Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Hilldale 5, Kansas City 3 October 20, 1924: Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Kansas City 5, Hilldale 0
1925 In 1925, for the first time ever, two different teams were champions of the split-half season, necessitating a Championship Series to determine the pennant, as Kansas City won the first half and the St. Louis Stars won the second half. The two teams initially agreed to a best-of-nine series before settling to seven due to scheduling problems. Bizarrely, the Monarchs played their home games not in Kansas City but in Chicago, and the final two games of the series were played as a double-header.
1925 Negro National League Championship Series: St. Louis Stars vs. Kansas City Monarchs (Kansas City wins series 4–3) September 19, 1925 at Stars Park (St. Louis, Missouri): Kansas City 8, St. Louis 6 September 20, 1925 at Stars Park (St. Louis, Missouri): St. Louis 6, Kansas City 3 September 23, 1925 at Stars Park (St. Louis, Missouri): St. Louis 3, Kansas City 2 September 26, 1925 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Kansas City 5, St. Louis 4 September 27, 1925 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): St. Louis 2, Kansas City 1 September 28, 1925 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Kansas City 9, St. Louis 3 September 28, 1925 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Kansas City 4, St. Louis 0
Box scores Game 1 Team123456789RHEKansas City2011001218100St. Louis200301110693W: Bullet Rogan (1–0) L: Percy Miller (0–1)HRs: Newt Allen (1), Dobie Moore (1), Frank Duncan (1), Willie Wells (1)
Game 2 Team123456789RHEKansas City000001011392St. Louis00212100X6110W: Roosevelt Davis (1–0) L: Nelson Dean (0–1) SV: Percy Miller (1)HRs: Bill Drake (1), Mitchell Murray (1)
Game 3 Team123456789RHEKansas City100000100251St. Louis00011001X342W: George Brown (1–0) L: William Bell (0–1)HRs: Dewey Creacy (1)
Game 4 Team123456789RHESt. Louis400000000472Kansas City0210000115111W: Bullet Rogan (2–0) L: Percy Miller (0–2)HRs: none
Game 5 Team123456789RHESt. Louis000000002243Kansas City000010000141W: George Brown (2–0) L: Bill Drake (0–1)HRs: none
Game 6 Team123456789RHESt. Louis000000300373Kansas City10006101X992W: William Bell (1–1) L: Percy Miller (0–3)HRs: none
Game 7 Team123456789RHESt. Louis00000000-073Kansas City3000010X-430W: Bullet Rogan (3–0) L: George Brown (2–1)HRs: none
1925 Colored World Series: Hilldale Club vs. Kansas City Monarchs (Hilldale wins series 5–1)
October 1, 1925 at Muehlebach Field: Hilldale Club 5, Kansas City 2 October 2, 1925 at Muehlebach Field: Kansas City 5, Hilldale Club 3 October 3, 1925 at Muehlebach Field: Hilldale Club 3, Kansas City 1 October 4, 1925 at Muehlebach Field: Hilldale Club 7, Kansas City 3 October 8, 1925 at Baker Bowl: Hilldale Club 2, Kansas City 1 October 10, 1925 at Baker Bowl: Hilldale Club 5, Kansas City 2
1926 In 1926, the first-half champion Kansas City Monarchs played against the second-half champion Chicago American Giants in a best-of-nine series. Game 9 ended after just five innings, having been played the same day as Game 8. Bill Foster beat Bullet Rogan in both games as Chicago won the pennant.
1926 Negro National League Championship Series: Kansas City Monarchs vs. Chicago American Giants (Chicago wins series 5–4) September 18, 1926 at Muehlebach Field (Kansas City, Missouri): Kansas City 4, Chicago 3 September 19, 1926 at Muehlebach Field (Kansas City, Missouri): Kansas City 6, Chicago 5 September 20, 1926 at Muehlebach Field (Kansas City, Missouri): Kansas City 5, Chicago 0 September 21, 1926 at Muehlebach Field (Kansas City, Missouri): Chicago 4, Kansas City 3 September 25, 1926 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Kansas City 11, Chicago 5 September 26, 1926 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Chicago 2, Kansas City 0 September 28, 1926 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Chicago 4, Kansas City 3 September 29, 1926 at Schorling Park (Chicago, Illinois): Chicago 1, Kansas City 0