Bernard Fernandez
Career: 1938-1948
Position: p
Teams: Atlanta Black Crackers (1938), Jacksonville Red Caps (1939), Pittsburgh Crawfords (1946), New York Black Yankees (1948-1949)
Born: March 5, 1918, Tampa, Florida
In 1938, the Cuban right-handed pitcher from Tampa was on the spring roster for the Atlanta Black Crackers but had some control problems and was dropped from the squad in early May. He played with the Jacksonville Red Caps the following season but did not appear in the Negro Leagues again until after World War II, when he played with the new Pittsburgh Crawfords, a lesser team in the U.S. League that used the Crawfords' name. He also played with the New York Black Yankees in 1948-1949, when black baseball was struggling to survive the loss of players to organized baseball.
Baseball Career Highlights:
"It was thrilling to pitch in Yankee Stadium where all the great players played. I really felt good about it!"
Professional Personal Accomplishments:
"After my last season in baseball, I went to work in construction. I worked in the industry for 30 years."
Sources:
NLBM Legacy 2000 Players' Reunion Alumni Book, Kansas City Missouri: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Inc., 2000.
James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.
Bernard Fernandez