Robert Higgins
From BR Bullpen
Robert Higgins
- Bats , Throws Left
- Height , Weight lb.
- Born in
- Died in
Robert Higgins was one of the earliest black professional baseball players. He was signed at age 20 to play for the minor league Syracuse Stars, a team which also featured Fleet Walker and deaf player Ed Dundon. In 1887 he went 20-7 for the team with a 2.90 ERA. He also hit .294 and stole 28 bases in 41 games, playing outfield on occasion. He had a 2.56 ERA for Syracuse in 1988, when they won the International League title; he was the club's #2 hurler after Con Murphy. He hit .225 that season. In 1889 he went to Memphis where he operated a barbershop for years. He played for the Cuban Giants in 1896, his only turn with a Negro League club.
It is said that some of the white team players gave him trouble, and eventually Higgins decided the racism was too much and left the business.
[edit] Sources
- Sol White's History of Colored Baseball
- The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
- The International League: Year-by-Year Statistics by Marshall Wright
