Henry Milton

Henry William Milton
(Streak)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 155 lb.
• School Wiley College
• High School Washington High School (East Chicago)
• Debut 1932
• Final Game 1940
• Born June 2, 1912 in Winona, MS USA
• Died June 25 1943 in Crown Point, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Henry Milton lived only 33 years but had an impressive career in baseball in that time, making the East-West Game five times.

Milton attended Wiley College and formed a football backfield there with fellow future Negro League players Pat Patterson and Byron Johnson. Henry debuted with the Indianapolis ABCs in 1932. He resurfaced with the Brooklyn Eagles in 1935 and joined the Kansas City Monarchs later that year.

In 1936, Henry hit .333. He played for the West in the 1936 East-West Game; pinch-hitting for Willard Brown, he stayed in the game in center field, replacing Eddie Dwight. He was 0 for 2 at the plate in the contest.

Milton hit only .151 in 1937 but stole 15 bases, second to Dwight in the Negro American League. He was 1 for 11 in the postseason that year and 3 for 18 in exhibitions against white major leaguers. In the 1937 East-West Game, he was 0 for 1, pinch-hitting for Brown and being retired by Leon Day in the 9th inning.

In 1938, "Streak" hit .325 for the Monarchs. He was the leadoff hitter for the West in the 1938 East-West Game and went 1 for 3 with a hit-by-pitch, two steals and two runs in a 5-4 victory. He slumped to .236 for Kansas City in 1939 and his four triples tied Parnell Woods, Buck O'Neil and Double Duty Radcliffe for the NAL lead. He got 480,777 votes for the East-West Game, second among all outfielders. He was again the leadoff hitter and right fielder for the West in the first East-West Game of 1939 and was 1 for 3 before leaving in a double switch. He did not play in the second East-West Game of '39.

Milton hit .265 for the 1940 Monarchs. He got 58,758 votes for the East-West Game, again finishing second among outfielders, and was 1 for 4 in the 1940 East-West Game. He did not play in 1941-1942 and was with the New York Black Yankees for the start of 1943 before dying of spinal meningitis.

==Notable Achievements--

• 4-time NAL All-Star (1937-1940)
• 2-time NAL At0-Bats Leader (1938 & 1939)
• 2-time NAL Runs Scored Leader (1937 & 1938)
• NAL Triples Leader (1938)
• 2-time NAL Stolen Bases Leader (1937 & 1938)

Sources:

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester