In an effort to correct longtime oversights, Major League Baseball announces seven historically Black leagues in existence from 1920-1948 will be retroactively be given Major League status. The statistics and records of more than 3,400 players including the likes of Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige will now be counted in MLB annals.
"We are all grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong - as Major Leaguers within the historical record," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. MLB has long celebrated the contributions of the Negro Leagues, today's announcement comes on the 100th anniversary of the segregation-era circuits.
Major League Baseball, the Elias Sports Bureau and other historians have started a review process to determine the full scope of player records and statistics.