- Leagues ran while black players were excluded from MLB
- Change means statistics for baseball greats will change
Willie Mays will add some hits to his record, Monte Irvin’s big league batting average should climb over .300 and Satchel Paige may add nearly 150 victories to his total.
Josh Gibson, the greatest of all Negro League sluggers, may wind up with a major league record, too.
The statistics and records of greats like Gibson, Paige and roughly 3,400 other players are set to join Major League Baseball’s books after MLB announced on Wednesday it is reclassifying the Negro Leagues as a major league.
Related: The long decline – and possible revival – of the African American baseball star
