Walter James

Walter Clarence Watson James
(Mahoo)

• Bats Right Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 175 lb.

• Born January 1, 1920 in Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
• Died August, 1985

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Walter "Mahoo" James was a local star in the Virgin Islands who was a contemporary of Lionel Richards. Local author Liston B. Monsanto mentioned James (who played outfield when not pitching), Richards, and other members of the 1940s V.I. baseball scene at various points in his books, Pepper Pot and The Sequel.

Both Valmy Thomas and Horace Clarke remember James. He played pro ball in Puerto Rico for the Cangrejeros de Santurce and Indios de Mayagüez. He also pitched from 1951 through 1953 in the U.S. minors, at the Class C and Class D levels.

On February 13, 1954, Roberto Clemente hit a home run off him to straightaway center, providing the margin of victory in Puerto Rico's 1-0 victory over the Virgin Islands in the first game of a three-game exhibition inter-island tourney. James struck out 12 in the hard-luck loss.

The New York Indians, a recreational team of transplanted Virgin Islanders who were active well into the 1990s, sometimes called themselves "The Mahoo Team" in honor of James.