STORYLINES
THE NEGRO LEAGUES SEASON 4 - DROP 2
Y'all loved the first set so much we had to come back out for an encore! Included with the Patch 1.05 update to MLB® THE SHOW™ '26 are three new Negro League legends to play, brought to you by Bob Kendrick of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
"Smokey Joe" Williams
You know a guy nicknamed "Smokey" and "Cyclone" was going to throw the ball hard - and the 6'5 superstar from Seguin, TX threw so hard he often had to have two catchers ready to go - one to start the game, and one to come in when the first catcher's hand couldn't take any more, usually around the fifth or sixth inning. There was sweetness with the smoke, too - Williams loved to catch a hitter sitting on his legendary fastball and get them spiraling around out front on his devastating change-up. Having seen Williams' stuff for himself, Ty Cobb remarked that he would've been a sure 30-game winner in the Major Leagues.
Ray Dandridge
Dandridge started his career as a shortstop, but when his team's third baseman didn't show up at the start of the season he got the opportunity to move to third base. He grew into one of the most masterful third basemen in baseball history - and that teammate never got his job back. He was in his late 30s by the time integration happened, and would never fulfill his dream of going from the cornfields to the Major Leagues, but Ray Dandridge would live long enough to attend his Baseball Hall of Fame induction in 1987.
Willard "Ese Hombre" Brown
Willard Brown and the Kansas City Monarchs were destined for each other. Brown grew up in Shreveport, LA, where the Monarchs held their spring training every year. As a child, Brown served as a batboy for the team and dreamed of becoming a superstar - as an adult, he made those dreams a reality. Brown led the Monarchs to six pennants in ten years, then integrated the St. Louis Browns along with Hank Thompson in 1947. Brown was the first black player to hit a home run in the American League. When St. Louis temporarily abandoned their integration strategy, Brown went to Puerto Rico and won back-to-back triple crowns, earning himself the nickname "Ese Hombre" - That Man.
