The Pittsburgh Keystones was the name of two historic professional Negro league baseball teams that operated in 1887 and again in 1921 and 1922. The first team was a member of the first black baseball league in 1887, the League of Colored Baseball Clubs. The league only lasted a week, which resulted in a 3-4 record for the Keystones, and included Weldy Walker, the second African-American to play in the major leagues and future hall of famer, Sol White.[1]

Pittsburgh Keystones
Information
League
LocationPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ballpark
Established1887
Disbanded1922

The second club was founded by Alexander McDonald Williams, a Barbadian immigrant and pool hall operator.[2] The Keystones' home field was Central Park, located in the Hill District at the corner of Chauncey Street and Humber Way.[3] The park was built by the prominent African American architect Louis Arnett Stuart Bellinger, who would later design Greenlee Field for the Pittsburgh Crawfords.[4][5]

In their first season the Pittsburgh Keystones played as associate members of the Negro National League. Managed by Fred Downer, they compiled a 7-14-1 record against league and other associate clubs.[6] The Keystones joined the league as full members in 1922, finishing sixth with a 14-23-2 record in league play under managers Dizzy Dismukes and Dicta Johnson.[7] The team disbanded after the season.

Year-by-year record

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Year Record Finish Manager Notes
1887 3-4 -- Walter Brown League folded after 1 week
1921 7-14-1 5th Fred Downer
1922 14-23-2 6th Dizzy Dismukes & Dicta Johnson

Players

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References

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  1. ^ "Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database". 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  2. ^ Ashwill, Gary (2009-09-09). "Central Park, Pittsburgh 1920-1925". Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  3. ^ Ashwill, Gary (2006-05-07). "Pittsburgh's Central Park". Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  4. ^ Tannler, Albert M. (2006-05-07). "Pittsburgh's African-American Architect Louis Bellinger and the New Granada Theater". Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  5. ^ Strecker, Geri, "The Rise of Greenlee Field: Biography of a Ballpark," Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal 2:2 (Fall 2009): 39-40.
  6. ^ "Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database". 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  7. ^ "Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database". 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-07.