Welcome to our second week of Hall of Immortal inductions. For a recap of what this is, please check out the introduction post here.
Today we welcome our first immortal who never played in the major leagues. Josh Gibson played his entire career in the Negro Leagues, amassing offensive numbers so amazing he was often called the Black Babe Ruth. Accurate stats for the Negro Leagues are almost impossible, but anecdotally Gibson is said to have hit over 800 home runs during his career including the longest ball ever hit at the original Yankee Stadium (the Sporting News estimated it to have traveled 580 feet).
Before choosing Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey considered signing Josh Gibson (the story was made into a very good movie Soul of the Game). Sadly, Gibson died very young (just 35), 3 months before Robinson broke the color barrier.
