The History of the Philadelphia Stars

Organized by Ed Bolden in 1933, the Stars won a Negro National League flag in 1934, their first season in the league. Led led by 20-year-old left-hander Slim Jones, the Stars defeated the Chicago American Giants in a controversial playoff series, four games to three, for the Negro National League pennant. 
 


The team was financed, and owned in part by sports promoter Eddie Gottlieb who also owned the Philadelphia Sphas and Philadelphia Warriors basketball teams.
 
At their high point in mid-1930s, the team starred such greats as Biz Mackey, Jud Wilson, and Dick Lundy. 
 
Following his release by Cleveland, Satchel Paige signed with the Stars in July 1950, before returning to the Majors with Bill Veeck and the St. Louis Browns. 
 
After integration and the collapse of the Negro National League, the Stars popularity and impact declined dramatically before folding at the end of 1952 season. 
 
Where They Played
The Stars initially played their home games at Passon Field at the current site of West Philadelphia High School's Pollock Field (48th & Spruce). 
 
By 1936, the club moved to Penmar Park at Belmont and Parkside. The park was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA. The roundhouse of the Pennsylvania Railroad stood just past the ballpark's rightfield wall, and coal smoke and soot from various train engines frequently drifted into the park during games. Games would occasionally be delayed until the smoke had dissipated sufficiently. Capacity was between 5,000 and 6,000. 
 
The club also played at Shibe Park on Monday nights throughout the organization's history when the Athletics and Phillies were on the road. 

Top Offensive Players
There are numerous methods to define a strong offensive player, but for the purpose of keeping things simple the list below is ranked utilizing offensive WAR via Baseball-Reference.com. 
  1. Frankie Austin (5 seasons, 251 games), 10.3
  2. Jud Wilson (6 seasons, 261 games), 7.2
  3. Gene Benson (12 seasons, 531 games) 5.8
  4. Roy Parnell ( 8 seasons, 337 games), 5.0
  5. Jim West (7 seasons, 327 games), 4.6
Top Pitchers
There are numerous methods to define a strong offensive player, but for the purpose of keeping things simple the list below is ranked utilizing offensive WAR via Baseball-Reference.com. 
  1. Henry McHenry (8 seasons, 130 games) 14.1
  2. Barney Brown (7 seasons, 101 games), 8.8
  3. Slim Jones (5 seasons, 68 games) 8.5
  4. Webster McDonald (7 seasons, 103 games), 6.9
  5. Bill Ricks (5 seasons, 65 games), 6.1

First Exhibition Game: April 23, 1933
The Philadelphia Stars traveled to York, PA. to face the White Roses of the New York-Penn League in a doubleheader on Sunday, April 23rd at Memorial Field. The White Roses were an affiliate at the time of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Stars won with a 7-0 shutout in the first game behind a pair of three-hit performances from Dick Seay and Chaney White. The second game lasted just seven innings and the Stars fell, 5-4.