BRIDGEWATER — Willie Randolph didn’t know it at the time, but one of his first infield coaches in professional baseball hailed from the Negro Leagues.
Gene Baker taught Randolph how to turn a double play after the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Randolph in 1972. Randolph learned later on that Baker was a pioneer of Black baseball culture as he played for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1948 and 1949 before transitioning to the major leagues.
In his mind, Randolph had been touched by royalty.
“After that I got into the history of it,” Randolph says. “I had a beautiful library in my home of Negro Leagues history, and I started reading up about these guys.”
Randolph, a Yankees legend, spoke Saturday at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater as an ambassador for the New York Black Yankees, who played in the Negro Leagues from 1932-48.
The Somerset Patriots paid tribute to that historic team for the third straight season with a pregame ceremony and by playing as the Black Yankees with specially designed jerseys and hats.
Each player in the starting lineup represented one of these members of the Black Yankees: catcher Bob Clarke, first baseman George Crowne, second baseman Glen Richardson, third baseman James Cobbin, shortstop Jesse Walker, left fielder Clarence Jenkins, center fielder Marvin Barker, right fielder James Williams, designated hitter George Giles and pitcher John Stanley.
Randolph, a five-time World Series champion with the Yankees as a player and a coach, as well as the first Black manager in New York history with the Mets, is a prominent Black figure in baseball.
“I just feel really blessed to be around this and be talked about in that lineage in some way, because I feel like it’s part of a legacy,” Randolph said. “I’m just really proud of just the people that have come before me and who I get a chance to meet, who are still with us. Those gentlemen, they were sharp. They were telling stories and they were talking about stuff that I had questions about, and they went right on it, man. I loved it.”
Former players on the New York Black Yankees team, which played in the Negro Leagues from 1932-48, are displayed inside TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater on Saturday. (Greg Johnson/ Trentonian Photo)
Two former Negro Leagues players, Cobbin and Dennis Biddle, were part of Saturday’s event. They spoke during an on-field panel alongside Randolph and WFAN host Keith McPherson, then threw ceremonial first pitches.
Dave Marek, the Somerset Patriots’ Senior Vice President of Marketing, connected with Biddle through a non-profit organization called Yesterday’s Negro Leagues Baseball Players. Marek asked if Biddle knew any living members of the Black Yankees, and Cobbin was available.
“When I heard that he could come here to this game, my jaw dropped,” Marek said. “I’ve been working in baseball for 25 years, and to be able to crown the Black Yankees jersey that we created for the Black Yankees team and put it on a player that played with the Black Yankees, is really one of my crowning achievements of my career. It was an honor to be able to do something like that.”
The Black Yankees event is Somerset’s contribution to Minor League Baseball’s “The Nine” program, a Black-community focused outreach designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact Black baseball pioneers made on the sport and highlight Black culture and organizations.
Marek initially found it to be challenging because of Somerset County’s population and fanbase being primarily white. But as he conducted research, he noticed New Jersey’s rich history with the Negro Leagues and Black baseball culture.
Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier while playing with the Montreal Royals at the since-demolished Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, and Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson is one of three Negro Leagues stadiums (where the Black Yankees played) still standing.
Somerset worked with Ryan Foose of Fooser Sports for the branding of the Black Yankees apparel. The original team wore uniforms similar to the Yankees, and Somerset wanted to give the Black Yankees their own voice with “BY” on the hat and “Loud and Proud” on the jersey.
“The fact that we have a primarily white fanbase, it would allow us to educate our fanbase on what happened with the Negro Leagues and what happened in that time period,” Marek said.
Education is crucial, Randolph says, at a time when society is in some ways trying to do away with history.
“If you’re a baseball fan, then you should know Black history and Negro Leagues history, because these guys were, to me, the real early pioneers of the game who played purely for the love of the game and because they loved playing the game,” said Randolph, who noted as one example that those players were famous for playing tripleheaders.
Randolph felt like a kid in a candy store getting to talk with Biddle and Corbin and pick their brains. In turn, he feels a responsibility to serve as a bridge between generations by talking with current Black players, such as Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., about the path forged for them several decades ago.
“I think they understand that they’re riding on the shoulders, or being lifted on the shoulders, of these great players,” Randolph said. “I think they understand that, but I think it needs to be talked about more … have these types of events and nights more often, so it can be in the mindset. You don’t just give it a little bit of lip service and then move on. I think what they’re doing here in Somerset is tremendous.”
Originally Published: August 4, 2025 at 1:30 PM EDT