Connie Day

Wilson Connie Day

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 160 lb.

• Debut 1920
• Final Game 1932
• Born December 30, 1897 in Lima, OH USA
• Died June 23, 1961 in Indianapolis, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Connie Day was an infielder in the Negro Leagues during the 1920s and later managed briefly. He was known as a showboater who played to the crowds and was known for his range and throwing arm as a fine defensive player. Not known for his bat, he ran the bases aggressively.

Day was with the 1920 Indianapolis ABCs in their first season in the Negro National League, having spent time previously with the club and with a minor Richmond Giants outfit. Moving around the infield, Connie hit just .173. In 1921, he improved significantly to .247/.309/.353. He led the team in games played both at second base (46, fielding .941) and third base (29, fielding .904). Day batted .232/.266/.293 in 1922 and fielded .955 as the regular second baseman, settling into a position he would spend the majority of his career at. Day played in the California Winter League in 1922-1923, going 4 for 38 for the St. Louis All-Stars.

In 1923, Connie produced at a .294/.336/.400 clip, hitting second in front of Hall-of-Famer Oscar Charleston. Day fielded .962 that year. When C.I. Taylor passed away, Connie moved to the Baltimore Black Sox. He hit .233 his first year there, then .272 in 1925. In between the 1924 and 1925 seasons, he spent another winter in California, batting .320/?/.571 for the Los Angeles White Sox. He surprisingly cracked 8 homers, third in the CWL (behind Dobie Moore and Tank Carr) and his 4 triples tied Moore and Lem Hawkins for the lead. Day returned again in 1925-1926 and had another fine winter. He hit .280/?/.424 with the Philadelphia Royal Giants; his 10 doubles ranked second in the league to Carr and he stole home at least once.

During 1926, he was dealt to the Harrisburg Giants. Day batted .186 for the 1927 Harrisburg club. In 1927-1928, Day hit .205/?/.295 for the Cleveland Stars of the California Winter League. The next winter, Connie batted .261/?/.353 for the Cal Winter League's Cleveland Giants. In 1929, the 28-year-old hit .208 for the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants. Day spent 1930 backing up for Hilldale and in 1932, manned short for Indianapolis, hitting .238 for his old club.

Overall, Day hit .261/?/.402 in 136 games in the California Winter League. He is tied with Jake Dunn for 12th all-time with 13 home runs.

In 1939, Day managed Indianapolis early in the year before being replaced by Hooks Mitchell.

Sources

• Research by Gary Ashwill
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The California Winter League by William McNeil
• 1923 Negro National League Yearbook, by Peter Ventura and Patrick Rock, Replay Publishing