Comprised of defecting Cuban Giants, the Cuban X-Giants became the dominant team during the late 1890s and early 1900s. Under manager E.B. Lamar, Jr., they won the first challenge playoff championship series between the East and the West in 1899.
The trip undertaken by the X-Giants was the longest ever for a black ballclub at that time. The X-Giants continued to be the dominant team in the East until dethroned by the Philadelphia Giants in 1904, when the Philly team reversed the previous season's outcome in the playoffs.
Source: James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.
Duration:
1897-1907
Honors:
Colored Champions (1899), Eastern Champions (1897-1903), Eastern Co-Champions (1900-1902)
Affiliation:
Independent