Nip Winters

James Henry Winters, Jr. (April 29, 1899 – December 12, 1971), nicknamed "Nip" and "Jesse", was a pitcher and first baseman in Negro league baseball, playing for many top eastern teams from 1920 to 1933, and considered one of the top left-handed pitchers of his day.

Nip Winters
Winters at the 1924 Colored World Series.
Pitcher/First baseman/Outfielder
Born: April 29, 1899
Washington, D.C.
Died: December 12, 1971 (aged 72)
Hockessin, Delaware
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
debut
1919, for the Norfolk Stars
Last appearance
1933, for the Philadelphia Stars
Teams

At age 53, Winters received votes listing him on the 1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the Negro leagues' best players ever.[2]

Career

Negro Leagues

Nip Winters debuted with the independent Norfolk Stars, playing with them from 1919 and 1920.[3] He was acquired by the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants in early 1921, and threw a no-hitter for them against the Indianapolis ABCs on July 26,1922.[4] He played for the Hilldale Club from 1922-1928 and in 1931, the New York Lincoln Giants from 1928-1929, and returned to the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants from 1931-1933, before making his final appearance with the Philadelphia Stars in 1933.

He was highly respected amongst his peers, and was chosen by a number of former Negro Leagues players and managers to their "All-Time Teams", including Chappie Johnson and Doc Lambert.[5]

In his time in the Negro Leagues, his career record was 89-42 with an ERA of 3.55 and 1114.2 innings pitched. He also recorded 546 strikeouts and 368 walks. As a hitter, he compiled a .288 batting average with 183 hits, 13 home runs, 42 doubles, 13 triples, 105 RBI, 82 runs scored. He drew 49 walks and stole 7 bases.

Exhibitions

Winters would often participate in exhibition games against MLB stars after the season concluded, squaring off against the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Lefty Grove. In these exhibitions, he would split 2 decisions with Grove, with each pitcher winning 1 and losing 1. He also both struck out and allowed a home run to Ruth, and allowed a triple to Gehrig.[6]

Cuban League

Winters pitched in the winter Cuban League from 1923-1926, compiling a 4-12 record in three seasons.

References
  1. "With Taber on Mound Chester Beats Hilldale" Chester Times, Chester, PA, Tuesday, July 29, 1924, Page 6, Column 1
  2. "1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players"
  3. "Negro Leagues Baseball eMuseum: Personal Profiles: Jesse "Nip" Winters". Negro League Baseball Museum. 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  4. Wolf, Gregory H. "July 26, 1922: Nip Winters tosses no-hitter as Bacharach Giants teach Indianapolis ABCs a lesson – Society for American Baseball Research". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  5. Cottrell, Robert Charles (2001-12-01). The Best Pitcher in Baseball: The Life of Rube Foster, Negro League Giant. New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-1615-1.
  6. Holway, John (1971). "Baseball Reminiscences of Washington's Fesse "Nip" Winters: "How I Struck Out Babe Ruth and Beat Lefty Grove"". Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 71/72: 752–757. JSTOR 40067797.


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