James Jenkins
Nickname: Pee Wee
Career: 1944-1953
Position: p, of
Teams: Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns (1944), New York Cubans (1946-1950), Birmingham Black Barons (1952), Indianapolis Clowns (1952), Canadian League (1951), minor leagues (1951-1953)
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5' 8'' Weight: 160
Born: March 15, 1923, Hampton Sydney, Virginia
He began his pitching career with the 1944 Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns but spent most of his playing time with the New York Cubans. He had an ample variety of pitches and good control, and was 2-2 during the New York Cuban's championship season of 1947 as they took the Negro National League pennant and defeated the Cleveland Buckeyes in the World Series. Three years later he was 0-2 in his last season in the Negro Leagues.
He began the 1951 season with Three Rivers in the Provincial League as a pitcher-outfielder but hit only .170 during his stay there, before joining the Mandak League, where he recorded a 7-5 slate with Winnipeg. The next two seasons were spent with Brandon in the same league, and he had a 5-2 record in his last year, 1953. Aside from his pitching, he was a good hustler but was at best a mediocre player in any other phase of the game.
Baseball Career Highlights:
In 1947, Jenkins was 2-2 during the New York Cuban's championship season. His efforts helped the team take the Negro National League pennant and defeat the Cleveland Buckeyes in the World Series.
Professional/Personal Accomplishments:
Jenkins continued playing minor league baseball after leaving the Negro Leagues.
Awards, Honors, Titles, Championships,
Schools, Colleges:
• Negro National League Champions - 1947
• 1947 Negro Leagues World Series Champions
(New York Cubans)
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.
James "Pee Wee"
Jenkins