Sam Jethroe was past his prime in 1950. 44106-7107. Robinson later said of Jethroe, "He looked like a gazelle in the outfield. He is buried in the Erie cemetery in Erie, Pennsylvania. He told an Erie newspaper that it was a difficult decision for him and that "I would never do anything to harm the game I love." Sam and Elsie were living in the bar with two grandchildren, aged 10 and 16. On April 18, 1950, he made his debut for the Boston Braves and at age 32, was the oldest player to win rookie of the year honors in 1950. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Sam The Jet Jethroe died in Erie of a heart attack in 2001. But he led the major leagues in steals in his first two seasons, each time with 35, and he batted .273 with 18 home runs and 100 runs scored in 1950, when he was named National League rookie of the year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. This player does not have game logs available for some years. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. Jethroe had four daughters, Kim, Gloria, Sheila, and Jennifer with his wife of 58 years, Elsie. Seventy years ago today, Cleveland Buckeye Sam Jethroe, Kansas City Monarch Jackie Robinson, and Philadelphia Star Marvin Williams walked into Fenway Park for a tryout with the Boston Red Sox. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Samuel The Jet Jethroe I found on Findagrave.com. Sorry! Sam Jethroe had 58 home runs over his career. 216.368.2000 Murray Chass of the New York Times wrote that National League president Leonard Coleman and former pitcher Joe Black, who like Jethroe played in both the Negro Leagues and the majors, headed up the committee.88 Noted Negro League historian Larry Lester provided Major League Baseball with the names of qualified players and their mailing addresses. "He gave us a chance to show what we could do against major leaguers. The team moved to Milwaukee the following season. A Baseball Group that welcomes: opinions, updates, book reviews, endorsements, news and anything that has to do with baseball. Do you have a blog? Jethroe is survived by his wife, Elsie; four daughters, Gloria Jethroe, Sheila Overton, Jennifer Overton and Kim Overton, all of Erie; and 10 grandchildren. It was in early 1945 that Jethroe took part in the tryout at Fenway Park. Eventually, he left the Buckeyes, taking a pay cut from $700 to $400 per month, to sign with Robinson's Dodgers, who assigned him to their top farm club, the Montreal Royals. , .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ The Boston Braves of the National League ended the 1950 season with a record of 83 wins and 71 losses, finishing fourth in the NL. copyright=new Date(); background-image:unset; She married the late,. . Where we share as we remember & make discoveries and connect with others to help answer questions. Stunned as to what his stopwatch showed, the Dodgers' Arthur Mann later helped arrange an exhibition 75-yard dash against Olympian Bunny Ewell. Sam Jethroe was the first black player in Boston. Zmnit kategorii nebo kolekci. And in May 1993, he was back at Fenway, taking part in a tribute to the Negro leaguers of old who never got a chance when their time was right. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. As the West Virginia football team publicist and sports columnist for the campus paper, the Yellow Jacket, Smith was well prepared to join the news industry upon his graduation. After that, he spent the next five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the International League. (Age 37-082d) based on information from your browser. "18 He also told Herald reporter Gerry Callahan that he'd heard no racial slurs on the field that day. His father taught him to play baseball, and at Lincoln High School, he played football, basketball, and boxed. 20 years longer than Do you have a sports website? He integrated the Boston Braves in 1950 at age 32 and was the oldest player to win Rookie of the Year honors. Research is still ongoing and well continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. The Biography piece is collaborative, where we work together to present the facts. The Red Sox never contacted them afterward. Under the revised 1997 parameters Jethroe qualified for, and received, a pension.Jethroe died of a heart attack at an Erie hospital in 2001 and was buried in Erie Cemetery. In 1917, in the year that Samuel Jethroe was born, the NHL (National Hockey League) was established as a response to the demise of the National Hockey Association (NHA). But Fresco Thompson scouted Jethroe and the Dodgers did purchase Jethroe's contract from the Buckeyes for a reported $5,000, and in July 1948 assigned him to Montreal.25 He had the two exceptional years noted above, and there were those who called him "the man who made Montreal forget about Jackie Robinson. "20 "I can't tell you how appreciative I am of what (the owners) have done," said Jethroe, who by then had suffered a stroke and had other health issues.89 It did indeed offer him a little more hope, and a feeling of some validation, in his later years. This memorial website was created in memory of Jethroe Singletary, 33, born on February 8, 1955 and passed away on September 0, 1988. Data Provided By His plight brought financial aid from the Baseball Assistance Team, an organization helping needy former players. 3 birth records, View He served under 1 year in jail. "I don't hold grudges," he said.91 Jethroe beat Ewell by a few yards.30 Another race that spring clocked Jethroe at 6.1 seconds, tying the world record.31He could run fast in games, too, of course. The Sox wanted to hold onto Sunday baseball and so agreed to hold a tryout for a select three Negro Leaguers brought to Boston by Pittsburgh Courier sportswriter Wendell Smith. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Many thanks to him. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Samuel Jethroe (22781)? It's also available for football, basketball and hockey. During his Rookie of the Year season he led the Majors in steals with 35, and batted .273 with 18 home runs and 100 runs scored. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. It was just a workout. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Sam Jethroe had a .275 average over his career. 1954 PITTSBURGH PIRATES Official Yearbook ELROY FACE Sid GORDON Samuel JETHROE. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "We were held back because of the color of our skin," said Newcombe.86 Before the 1954 season he was one of six players acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for infielder Danny O'Connell, but Jethroe played only two games for the team, the last on April 15. List of first black Major League Baseball players, List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball, List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders, "International League Announces 2019 Hall of Fame Class", Negro League Baseball Players Association, National League season stolen base leaders, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Jethroe&oldid=1127428408, American expatriate baseball players in Cuba, Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners, Sportspeople from East St. Louis, Illinois, Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, April 15,1954,for thePittsburgh Pirates, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 14 December 2022, at 17:15. Blogs; Online will; Shop. Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, he was an outfielder nicknamed "The Jet" in the Negro Leagues hitting .340 over seven seasons (1942-48) and helped his team the Cleveland Buckeyes win the 1945 Negro League World Series. Jethroe blazed way through Triple-A Negro Leagues star became 33-year-old Rookie of the Year By Josh Jackson February 2, 2011 He was well past his prime by the time he got a chance in integrated. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Sam was born on January 23, 1917 in Lowndes County, MS.. Sam is one of the famous and trending celeb who is popular for being a Baseball. On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball announced all the statistics amassed in that leagues segregated history will be included in all baseball statistics. Samuel Jethroe, nicknamed "The Jet" was an American center fielder in 'Negro league' and 'Major . Legendary Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe once said that Jethroe, nicknamed "The Jet," "was the fastest human being Ive ever seen," and a former Negro League player said Jethroe could "outrun the word of God." Jethroe, Marvin Williams, and Jackie Robinson suited up at Fenway on April 16, 1945 and worked out for coach Hugh Duffy.12 Red Sox manager Joe Cronin was present as well. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Sam Jethroe baseball stats page. At a gathering in Cleveland to honor Larry Doby, Jethroe told his former Montreal roommate Don Newcombe of the difficulties he was having. Samuel Jethroe, nicknamed "The Jet" (January 20, 1918 - June 18, 2001), was an American center fielder in Negro league and Major League Baseball. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family, Last-Modified: January 11, 2021 6:14 AM EST. 0 cemeteries found in Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania, USA. The Canadiens won the NHL championship over the Senators. zznamy 278,878. When you share, or just show that you care, the heart Thanks for your help! Jethroe was the Braves' regular center fielder for three seasons, was sent to the minors in 1953, then played two games with the 1954 Pirates, who were being run at the time by Rickey. Samuel Jethroe (1917-2001) was born in Columbus, Mississippi, and grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois. In 1937, at the age of 20 years old, Samuel was alive when on May 28th, the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge opened to cars. When Jethroe joined the Braves in April 1950, he was the first black major leaguer in Boston. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. On April 16, 1945, following pressure from a Boston city councilman, Jethroe was one of three black players to try out for the Boston Red Sox on the recommendation of black sportswriter Wendell Smith. Age: 83 one of the first black players in Major League Baseball history and the oldest player to ever win rookie of the year honors; nicknamed "The Jet" for his speed; debuted in 1950 with the Boston Braves, earning rookie honors at age 32 for batting .273 with 18 HRs, 58 RBI and 35 stolen bases; played with Boston through 1952 and two games with Pittsburgh in 1954; led the N.L . Per Jethroe's SABR bio, Jethroe played for the Indianapolis Clowns in 1938 at age 21, although Wikipedia indicates it was only for a short period of time, and as a catcher. As for Jethroe, it would take a bit longer for him to make it to the major leagues. Robinson broke baseball's color line with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Mrs. Elsie Allen Jethroe, age 98, of Erie, died quietly at home, on Friday, May 17, 2013. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. When 2 or more people share their unique perspectives, "28 When they did pitch to Jethroe in the Negro Leagues, Buck O'Neil recalled, "the infield would have to come in a few steps or you'd never throw him out. He played for the team's minor league Montreal club for the rest of 1948 and 1949 before his contract was sold to the Boston Braves. In the spring of 1945, pressed by city councilman Isidore Muchnick and sportswriter Dave Egan, the Boston Red Sox staged a trial for three black players - Robinson, Jethroe, and Marvin Williams. A unique . on any other website. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Jethroe surname lived. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Duffy said he was impressed, but none of the three ever heard from the Red Sox again. Please try again later. SUMMARY Career WAR 14.7 AB 2383 H 655 HR 58 BA .275 R 416 RBI 272 136 OBP .345 SLG .436 OPS .781 OPS+ 118 Jethroe had always been a forgiving man. In 1950 Jethroe returned to Boston, this time with the Boston . Measures may unfairly penalize players with fewer league games scheduled. Although Jackie Robinson had broken the colour-line four years earlier, when Jethroe joined the Boston Braves they were only the fifth of the 16 major league clubs to integrate. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. General manager Eddie Collins explained that baseball had never barred anyone, but - until then - no coloured players had asked to join. Sam Jethroe was born in Lowndes County, MS. Sam Jethroe weighed 178 lbs (80 kg) when playing. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Welcome to the Baseball Biography Project! He was named the National League's Rookie of the . Jethroe filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball and its Players Association in the 1990s . In addition, he was among the NL's top four batters in strikeouts each year. That year, the Cleveland Buckeyes beat the Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh to win the Negro World Series. "29 becomes full Jethroe was courted by Mexican League head honcho Jorge Pasquel to play ball in the Mexican League, but declined. He was signed to play in the minor leagues from 1948 to 1949 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cleveland Indians. From East St. Louis, Illinois, Samuel Jethroe was an all-around athlete. During spring training in 1949, Jethroe was clocked in a 60-yard sprint at 5.9 secondstwo -tenths of a second faster than the world's record at the time. For four seasons, he played with the Boston Braves (1950-52) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1954). Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. During the 1948 season Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers offered Jethroe a Major League. The team invited Jethroe, Jackie Robinson and Marvin Williams to Fenway Park in what was later called a "political tryout" as much as a tryout based on baseball skills. Samuel Jethroe, nicknamed "The Jet" (January 23, 1917 - June 16, 2001), was an American center fielder in Negro league and Major League Baseball. From 1942 to 1948 Jethroe played for the Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League, leading the league in stolen bases three times. SHARE ON FACEBOOK. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. After two games with Pittsburgh the next season, he returned to the International League with Toronto, playing five seasons before retiring, in 1958, to Erie, Pensylvania, where he played semi-pro and ran a tavern. Records typically include the name of the deceased, and the date the obituary was published.<br><br> . Some 40 years after his last major league game, Jethroe filed a federal lawsuit against Major League Baseball and its players association, seeking pension payments for former Negro leaguers who had not qualified for them because their careers had been damaged by racial discrimination. Link to family and friends whose lives he impacted. There is a problem with your email/password. Paiges team won seven of them. Jethroe may have been a bit more candid shortly afterward with some of his Buckeyes teammates. It launched with eight teams: Chicago American Giants, Chicago Giants, Cuban Stars, Dayton . Sponsored. Jethroe returned to Boston when the Dodgers sold his contract to the Braves. After his baseball career ended, Jethroe settled in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a local factory for several years, played in the city's semi-pro Glenwood League, then opened a bar. Sam Jethroe, a star center fielder of the Negro leagues who was named rookie of the year while with the 1950 Boston Braves at age 32 and is the oldest player ever to receive the award, died. Samuel's immediate relatives including parents, siblings, partnerships and children in the Jethroe family tree. Jethroe Moore, president of Silicon Valley's NAACP chapter. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? But he could do nothing to speed up his acceptance in the segregated world of major league baseball. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. In October 1949, he was sold to the Boston Braves for $150,000. Debut: 1950 | Pos: OF Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 178 | B: B | T: R >> Visit the Sam Jethroe biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics. Sam Jethroe had 655 hits over his career. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Research is still ongoing and well continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. In April of 1945, the Boston Red Sox invited Jethroe to a Major League tryout. Linda Carol Jethroe 61, of Honolulu, HI, died in Honolulu, HI on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. [2] He died of a heart attack in 2001 in Erie. Get this The Ottawa Citizen page for free from Saturday, July 2, 1949 EN, OTTAWA, CANADA Page 15 Brooklyn Dodgers Bow To New York 4 Tommy Shields' Column 'Round And About Jethroe Is Big Man . Negro League player stats include league games, interleague games (against major Negro League competition), and games against select top-level independent Black Baseball teams. Sam Jethroe has not been elected into the Hall of Fame. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. With the Cincinnati & Cleveland Buckeyes he won a pair of batting titles, hit .340 over seven seasons from 1942 to 1948, and helped the team to two pennants and the 1945 Negro World Series title. OH $5.00 + $10.95 shipping. Cleveland, Jethroe family member is 64. Who is Samuel Jethroe to you? But he could do nothing to. [2] While the lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge, in 1997 Major League Baseball decided to give a yearly payment plan to Negro league veterans, including Jethroe. I mean they didn't take us to dinner or anything, but they were all right. His career was also marked by difficulty in the outfield, as he led the NL in errors in each of his three full seasons, though he also led the league with 6 double plays as a rookie; his arm was not as accurate as those of most major league center fielders, and it was believed that he was playing too deep. April 15, 1954 Branch Rickey sold his shares of the Dodgers organization in 1950 and by 1954 he was general manager of the Pirates. This group welco . 1 death record, 32 followers 14.9k+ favorites. In 1947, the Buckeyes lost the negro World Series to the New York Cubans, four games to one. Rickey bought Jethroe from the Buckeyes for $5,000 in midsummer 1948, assigning him to the Royals. Their following was huge, and their on-field play was energetic and entertaining. Nicknamed "The Jet" for his stunning speed, Jethroe was born in Columbus, Mississippi but grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois. English I get the chance to remember the Share yesterday to connect today & preserve tomorrow, Copyright 1999-2023 AncientFaces, Inc. All Rights Reserved, ADVERTISEMENT JETHROE, SAM (20 January 1918-16 June 2001) was an outfielder with the Negro League CLEVELAND BUCKEYES and was considered a candidate to integrate Major League Baseball on several occasions. Sam Jethroe Position: Centerfielder Bats: Both Throws: Right 6-1 , 178lb (185cm, 80kg) Born: January 23, 1917 in Lowndes County, MS us Rookie of the Year 7x All-Star 1945 World Series 5 20 Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. We will remember him forever. Jethroe joined Curt Roberts as Pittsburgh's first black players. She was born in Memphis, Tenn. on July 22, 1914 , a daughter of the late Charles and Lena Williams Allen. Once owners decided to provide former Negro League players with pensions, players with at least four years of combined service between the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues would receive about $10,000 per year. Sam Jethroe Samuel Jethroe. What schools or universities did Samuel attend? The Jet still holds the record and the closest threat was Kazuhiro Sasaki (just 33-days younger than Jet when he won in 2000). Kestn a prostedn jmno(a) . The major leagues moved to dismiss the suit on the grounds that Jethroe had taken too long to file it, that the statute of limitations had long since expired. [2] Jethroe enjoyed an almost identical but perhaps slightly improved season in 1951 when he posted better figures in batting (.280), runs (101), RBI (65), hits (160), doubles (29) and triples (10), and again hit 18 homers. The pressure was growing on what was then known as "Organized Baseball" to desegregate, particularly because soldiers who had come back from putting their lives on the line for the country during World War II found a color bar still preventing them from playing professional baseball other than in the Negro leagues.11 Boston City Councilor Isadore Muchnick threatened to pull the special permit that the City of Boston accorded the Red Sox which enabled them to play baseball on one of the most lucrative days of the week Sundays. the average Jethroe family member the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Born: *On this date in 1917, Sam Jethroe was born. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. He integrated the Boston Braves in 1950 at age 32 and was the oldest player to win Rookie of the Year honors. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Ironically, the recent influx of Japanese players meant that last season's American League rookie of the year, Kazuhiro Sasaki, of Seattle, was also 32. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. Photos, memories, family stories & discoveries are unique to you, and only you can control. ''I'm not the type of person to be bitter,'' Jethroe once said. "13 Sam Jethroe, a star center fielder of the Negro leagues who was named rookie of the year while with the 1950 Boston Braves at age 32 and is the oldest player ever to receive the award, died last Saturday at a hospital in Erie, Pa. But Jethroe acknowledged that he smoked and drank, and Rickey felt he needed to go with a more clean-cut pioneer. April 18, 1950 By 1948, Jethroe had nothing to prove in the Negro Leagues, and he defeated Barney Ewell, who would win a gold and two silver medals as a sprinter in the London Olympics, in an exhibition race. But if he came to the majors late, it was not quite too late; he was one of the handful of African-American players who followed Robinson and, less gifted than he, still proved that blacks belonged in the middle tier of major leaguers as much as whites did. His home in Erie burned down in November 1994, forcing him to sleep for several months at the bar he ran in a rundown section of the city. We encourage you to research and . He was named the National League's Rookie of the Year in 1950 with the Boston Braves, and led the NL in stolen bases in his first two seasons. Jethroe received a physical deferment from military service in World War II. New York sportswriter Dan Daniel said the Jethroe sale one of several Rickey made in a flurry that netted the Dodgers well over half a million dollars brought Brooklyn $125,000 and Clint Conatser and Don Thompson.33 The caption for the AP wirephoto that ran in the October 12, 1949 Boston Herald said Jethroe was "regarded as the greatest base runner since Ty Cobb was in his prime." After the 1946 season, Jethroe joined the Satchel Paige All-Stars and barnstormed through 17 games, playing against a team of major leaguers headed by the entrepreneurial Bob Feller. Kevin Cuneo: Water level in Lake Erie starts to show signs of receding. See coverage note. Create an obituary. Year should not be greater than current year. Funeral homes; Help and advice. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The "international orange" color was chosen because it resisted rust and fading. (8,331st in major league history), AL/NL Debut: For those who are tired of stepping over large puddles on the multipurpose trail at Presque Isle State Park, Lake Erie seems . Rule Changes Probable Pitchers Starting Lineups Transactions Injury Report World Baseball Classic MLB Draft All-Star Game MLB Pipeline Postseason History. "No, I never thought about it," he told Marazzi. At 18, Sam Jethroe was playing pickup ball on a segregated team in East St Louis. Jethroe won the Negro American League batting title in 1945, hitting .393, but it was Robinson who was selected by the Dodgers' Branch Rickey to break organized baseball's color barrier with Montreal in 1946. He then opened a bar. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of JETH Jethro Burns, the mandolin-playing partner in the Homer and Jethro country music team, whose cornball humor and musical talents won the duo a Grammy Award, has died at 69 years old. In 1952 he came in second to Pee Wee Reese and in 1953 he spent the season playing for the Braves minor league team in Toledo. Jethroe spent a total of three years and seventeen days between the Braves and the Pirates, meaning that he fell just short of the requirement. Samuel Jethroe, nicknamed "The Jet" (January 23, 1917 - June 16, 2001), [1] was an American center fielder in Negro league and Major League Baseball. Login or Sign-up to show all important data, death records and obituaries absolutely for free! This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. It was a short time after this that Jethroe filed his lawsuit against Major League Baseball in regards to his pension. According to one opponent, the US baseball player Sam "the Jet" Jethroe, who has died of a heart attack aged 83, was so fast that "he could outrun the word of God". In 1946 Jethroe batted .310 and led the league in steals for the third straight year with 20. Share memories and family stories, photos, or ask questions. Jethroe argued that if Major League Baseball had not discriminated against African American players, they would have logged enough service time. Biographies are our place to remember and discover more about the people important to us. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. Only four other teams -- the Dodgers, the New York Giants, the Cleveland Indians and the St. Louis Browns -- had integrated. $59.99. It'd been nice for them," said Darryl Grace. Bob Elliott drove in 107 runs and topped . Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. He is survived by his wife, Elsie, and four daughters. making a donation to Baseball Almanac : Sam Jethroe was born on January 23, 1917. He did go to Venezuela for a while and was there when the news broke that Jackie Robinson had been signed. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. He may also have decided that Jethroe lacked power in his bat; Jethroe had hit just the one home run for the Royals. Remembering being forced to stay in separate housing from his white teammates back at the beginning, he said, "You get used to it. BIOGRAPHY Sam Jethroe is a well known Baseball. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Linda's . 1986 Card Collectors Company 1951 Bowman Reprint #242 Sam Jethroe: $0.41: 1988 Pacific Legends I/II #206 Sam Jethroe: $0.34: 1989 Swell Baseball Greats #62 Sam Jethroe: $0.41: 1989 Pacific Legends II #206 Sam Jethroe: $0.34: 1993 Ted Williams #137 Sam Jethroe: $0.34: 2001 Fleer Greats Of The Game #57 Sam Jethroe: After his career in the majors ended, Jethro settled in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a factory and played semi-pro baseball with the Pontiacs in the citys Glenwood League. Samuel Jethroe, baseball player, born January 20 1918; died June 16 2001, Black baseball ace fighting for recognition in a segregated sport, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. from the SABR BioProject, More Sam Jethroe Pages at Baseball Reference. He was voted rookie of the year after hitting 18 home runs and leading the league in stolen bases. OH He was called "the quickest human being I've ever seen" by former minor league teammate Don Newcombe.[2]. a In 1950, when, as the outstanding first-year player in the American League, he was named rookie of the year, Jethroe was already 32, the age at which many players think about retiring.