William Edward White

Biography

William Edward White (October 1860 – March 29, 1937) was a 19th-century American baseball player. He played as a substitute in one professional baseball game for the Providence Grays of the National League, on June 21, 1879. Work by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) suggests that he may have been the first African-American to play major league baseball, predating the longer careers of Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Weldy Walker by five years, and Jackie Robinson by 68 years. Very little is known about White, who replaced the regular first baseman, Joe Start, after the latter was injured. White was a student at Brown University and played for the college's team. He went 1-for-4, scored a run, and recorded 12 putouts as Providence won, 5–3. It is unknown why White did not play for the Grays again.

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