CC Sabathia Just Missed Joining the Black Aces

When CC Sabathia stepped out on the mound October 2 on the road against the Tampa Rays he had 19 wins. One more would have given him 20, a nice round number to look good for the Cy Young voters and his only real shot at winning the award. He missed it, but missing out on an award he’s already won is probably not that big a deal to him especially considering the outcome of the playoffs themselves.

The more award that eluded him along with his 20th victory would have landed him in the category for elite black pitchers; he would have become a Black Ace.

The Black Aces are a group of 13 black pitchers who have won 20 games in a season at least once. Jim “Mudcat” Grant came up with the idea for the group and originally called it “The 12 Black Aces” after the group of guys who had broken the “last barrier” as there was still a reluctance to use black men as starting pitchers even after the color line was broken.

The group eventually expanded in 2005 when Dontrelle Willis won 22 games with the Florida Marlins. The other members are Vida Blue (’71, ‘73, ‘75), Al Downing (’71), Bob Gibson (’65, ‘66, ‘68, ‘69, ‘70), Dwight Gooden (’85), Mudcat Grant (’65), Ferguson Jenkins (’67, ‘68, ‘69, ‘70, ‘71, ‘72, ‘74), Sam Jones (’59), Don Newcombe (’51, ‘55, ‘56), Mike Norris (’80), J.R. Richard (’76), Dave Stewart (’87, ‘88, ‘89, ‘90), and Earl Wilson (’67).

Some of the members have expressed an interest in lowering the bar for pitchers to get in such as only winning 18 games or winning the Cy Young award since it is more uncommon for pitchers to win 20 games in this day and age. So far that has been just talk though, talk Sabathia would love to see turn into action as he’s won 19 games twice and a Cy Young.

Grant, who authored a book called The Black Aces: Baseball’s Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners that was released in 2006, was on hand during Sabathia’s final start this season anxious to make an addition to the tome.

“I’m looking for the 14th member of our club,” said Grant just before Sabathia’s October 2 start. “I’ve never actually witnessed the 20th victory by any of the guys, so it would be a thrill for me.

“CC is a great guy and he deserves it. And let’s not forget he’s going against (Rays pitcher) David Price, who could very well win 20 games one day, too.”