Bottomer, Fred

Description

Shown here in a Cleveland Indians uniform, pitcher David Hoskins (1925-1970) played two years with the Indians. He appeared in 26 games in the 1953 season, winning nine and losing three, and batting .259. In 1954, he pitched in only 14 games, and had a win-loss record of 0-1 on a team that featured a number of dominant pitchers. Earlier in his baseball career, Hoskins had been a star in the Negro Leagues. Playing for the Homestead Grays in 1944, he was switched from pitcher to outfield and batted .324 on a team with such hitting stars as Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson. In 1945, he starred as both a pitcher and hitter for the Grays. In 1950-1952, Hoskins played in the minor leagues. As a member of the Dallas Eagles in 1952, he was the first African-American to play in the Texas League. In that year, he won 22 games as a pitcher, and batted .328. After some other stops, he returned to the Eagles in 1958, and had 17 victories as a pitcher. David Hoskins was inducted into the Texas League Hall of Fame in 2004.

Record Contributed By

Cleveland Public Library

Record Harvested From

Ohio Digital Network