Leon Day

Leon Day

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut 1934
• Final Game 1946
• Born October 30, 1916 in Alexandria, VA USA
• Died March 13, 1995 in Baltimore, MD USA

Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1995

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Leon Day was a Negro League star hurler, primarily with the Newark Eagles. He won 38 games against just 16 losses over his 10-year Negro League career. He broke into baseball in 1934, pitching 1 game for the Baltimore Black Sox at the age of 17. He played in the Negro Leagues from 1934 to 1939, but spent 1940 with the Veracruz Azules of the Mexican League, winning 6 games without a loss and hitting .298. He spent from 1941 to 1943 with the Newark Eagles. The Pittsburgh Courier ranked him ahead of Satchel Paige as best pitcher in the Negro Leagues in both 1942 and 1943, despite the fact that he often played at other positions.

Day was drafted into the army on September 1, 1943, and served until February of 1946. He returned back to the Newark Eagles, and threw a no-hitter on opening day against the Philadelphia Stars, finishing the season with 9 wins and 2 losses. He played in the Mexican League in 1947 and 1948 for Mexico City, but was mediocre, winning 18 games against 20 losses. He had more success at the plate those two years, hitting a combined .317 with 4 home runs in 243 at-bats. He did not play in 1949, but played for the Winnipeg Buffaloes of the Manitoba-Dakota league in 1950, winning 4 games against 2 losses.

From 1951 to 1952 he pitched in the St. Louis Browns' organization, spending 1951 with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League and 1952 for the Scranton Miners of the Eastern League. Though he pitched mostly as a reliever, he worked 161 innings in 1952, with a record of 13-9.

His last season in professional baseball was 1954, in which he played for the Brandon Greys in the Manitoba-Dakota League.

Leon Day was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 by the Veterans Committee.

Notable Achievements

• 6-time NNL All-Star (1935, 1937, 1939, 1942, 1943 & 1946)
• NNL Winning Percentage Leader (1946)
• NNL Saves Leader (1935)
• 2-time NNL Strikeouts Leader (1942 & 1946)
• NNL Complete Games Leader (1946)
• 2-time NNL Shutouts Leader (1937 & 1946)
• Won one Negro World Series with the Newark Eagles in 1946
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1995

Further Reading

• Matt Kelly: "Leon Day: An overshadowed ace: Though Satchel Paige claimed headlines, peers say Day was his equal", mlb.com, February 28, 2020. [1]
• James A. Riley: Dandy, Day, and the Devil, Tk Pub, Cocoa, FL, 1987, ISBN 978-0961402327
• Jake Rill: "Looking back on Leon Day's Opening Day no-no", mlb.com, February 20, 2022. [2]

Related Sites

• Leon Day at the SABR Bio Project
• Hall of Fame Bio