Integrating Cleveland Baseball

Focusing on the Negro American League Buckeyes, this detailed history describes the effects of major league integration on blackball in Cleveland, as well as the controversial role that the local black press played in the transformation. Included are historical photos, rosters for all Cleveland Negro League teams, and a list of the city’s players in the annual East-West All-Star game.

Stephanie M. Liscio is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in history at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Her essays have appeared in several SABR convention publications. Read Liscio’s online baseball writings at (It’s pronounced “Lajaway”), the Cleveland Indians blog for the ESPN SweetSpot Network.

Stephanie M. Liscio
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 235
Bibliographic Info: 10 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3690-3
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5750-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      ix
Preface      1
Introduction      3

1. Before the Buckeyes: Cleveland’s Ten Negro League Teams, 1922–1940      11
2. The Push for Integration and the Formation of the Buckeyes      42
3. Building a Champion: Assembling a Winning Team in 1943 and 1944      69
4. When the Underdog Ruled: The Buckeyes Win the 1945 World Series      89
5. The Buckeyes on the Brink of Integration      103
6. The Integration of the Indians      129
7. The End of an Era: The Buckeyes Collapse      153
8. Pioneer or Footnote? Eddie Klepp and the 1946 Buckeyes      176

Conclusion      185
Epilogue      188
Appendix 1: Rosters of All Cleveland Negro League Teams      191
Appendix 2: Cleveland Negro League Participants in the East-West All-Star Game      201
Chapter Notes      203
Bibliography      219
Index      221

“Liscio has filled a lacuna in the history of the Negro Leagues with her book…Well documented and researched…a straightforward, chronological approach to the rise and fall of the Cleveland Buckeyes”—Nine.