Jap Payne

Andrew H. "Jap" Payne (December 6, 1879 – August 22, 1942) was a baseball player in the Negro leagues. He played multiple positions, including outfield and infield.

Jap Payne
Payne in 1909
Outfielder
Born: (1879-12-06)December 6, 1879
Washington, D.C.
Died: August 22, 1942(1942-08-22) (aged 62)
New York, New York
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
debut
1902, for the Philadelphia Giants
Last appearance
1922, for the Philadelphia Giants of New York
Teams

Standing at 5-foot-5 inches, Payne was described as "unimposing," but he became known for slapping line drives past infielders, as well as having an excellent arm.[4][5]

Payne was rumored to have gotten the nickname "Jap" due to his slanted eyes.

In August, 1907, Payne lost his temper and attacked an umpire, causing a near-riot, and his language occasionally forced umpires to throw him out of games.[6]

Sportswriter and fellow player Jimmy Smith put Payne on his 1909 "All American Team."[7] Prior to the 1930 season, pitcher Dizzy Dismukes included Payne in his list of nine greatest all-time outfielders and wrote:

Jap Payne in a moment of need could do more acrobatic stunts to help a pitcher out of a tight situation than all the outfielders put together. Almost any ball Jap could get within three to five feet of before hitting the ground he caught, as he usually took a dive for them. In reading of Hack Wilson's catch of Simmons' drive during the last World Series,[8] I thought of catches I had seen Payne make.[9]

In 1953, future Hall of Famer Pop Lloyd named Payne as the right fielder on his all-time team.[5][10]

References
  1. "Pottstown and Philadelphia Giants" Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tuesday Morning, June 21, 1904, Page 10, Column 5
  2. "Cuban X-Giants are Champions" The Patriot, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Saturday, September 19, 1903, Page 7, Column 1
  3. "Frank Lelands' Chicago Giants Base Ball Club" Fraternal Printing Company, 1910
  4. Dixon, Phil (2010). Andrew Rube Foster, a Harvest on Freedom's Fields. Xlibris Corporation. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-4500-9657-7.
  5. "Negro Leagues Baseball eMuseum: Personal Profiles: Jap Payne". coe.ksu.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
  6. Dixon, Phil (2010). Andrew Rube Foster, a Harvest on Freedom's Fields. Xlibris Corporation. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-4500-9657-7.
  7. "The Base Ball Spirit In The East." Indianapolis Freeman, Indianapolis, Indiana, Saturday, December 25, 1909, Page 7, Columns 1 and 2
  8. Associated Press (October 9, 1929). "Play by Play on Opener". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 24. Retrieved August 12, 2021. "Simmons lined out to Wilson, who made a diving catch, but held the ball. Stephenson ran over to see if Wilson had hurt himself, but he had not."
  9. Dismukes, "Dizzy" (March 8, 1930). "Dismukes Names His 9 Best Outfielders". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 14. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  10. Lester, Larry; Sammy J. Miller; Dick Clark (2000). Black baseball in Chicago. Arcadia Publishing. p. 28. ISBN 0-7385-0704-0.


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