Cincinnati Buckeyes

Note: For the 1860s team with the same name click here

The Cincinnati Buckeyes played in the Negro American League in 1942. The team was actually the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes, hosting more home games in Cleveland than in Cincinnati, as well as hosting a number of games in Meadville, PA and several other nearby neutral sites. In 1943, the club moved its operations entirely to Cleveland and became simply the Cleveland Buckeyes. In 1942, Cincinnati also hosted the Cincinnati Clowns of the Negro Major League, and hosted that same team in 1943 when they joined the NAL.

Walter Burch began the season as manager but was replaced on June 8 by third baseman Parnell Woods. Center fielder Sam Jethroe hit .338 for the team, which went 31-18 in sanctioned NAL games, and 49-43 overall. Eugene Bremer was 11-2 and Willie Jefferson 9-3. Part of the team was involved in a tragic accident on September 7th when two starting players, catcher Buster Brown and pitcher Smoky Owens were killed and starting pitcher Bremer suffered but survived a skull fracture when one of the team's automobiles was struck at high speed by a truck.

Sources

• "The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues" by John Holway
• "The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues" by James Riley