Josh Gibson eclipses Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth

Negro Leagues statistics will become part of MLB history today, with more than 2,300 players from the seven iterations of the Negro Leagues (1920-1948) being officially added to the record books.

What this means: Negro League legends, unfamiliar to many modern fans, will now be listed among all-time leaders, while Negro League players who played in MLB — including Willie Mays, Minnie Miñoso and Larry Doby — will have their stats integrated and updated. 

The man, the myth, the legend: Negro Leagues icon and Baseball Hall of Famer Josh Gibson is now the all-time leader in batting average (.372, eclipsing Ty Cobb), slugging percentage (.718, eclipsing Babe Ruth) and OPS (1.177, eclipsing Ruth). Gibson, who played 17 years with the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, also holds the single-season record in all three categories: .466 BA, .974 SLG and 1.474 OPS.

"He was referred to as the black Babe Ruth, but some believe it might be just as accurate to call the Bambino the white Josh Gibson," wrote Bill Johnson of the Society for American Baseball Research.