May 27 was the fourth Sunday of the 1945 Negro American League season, but it was the first home game for the Chicago American Giants. Chicago fans were ready, as 18,000 came out to Comiskey Park to see the Giants take on the Monarchs. The two clubs were already quite familiar with each other; this was the third Sunday they'd met in the young season, and had squared off in many mid-week and preseason barnstorming contests. In all the '45 Giants vs. Monarchs games played before May 27 for which I've found results, Kansas City had won six of eight.
Booker McDaniels & Gentry Jessup
Pitchers Booker McDaniels and Gentry Jessup faced off for the third time of the year. Both went the distance. McDaniels allowed eight Giants hits and Jessup allowed seven Monarchs safeties. Both struck out two and walked two. Sounds like an even match-up, but Chicago apparently did a better job of bunching baserunners in managing a 6-2 win. Monarchs manager Frank Duncan had Jackie Robinson in the the sixth spot of the batting order after batting him third in every game I've seen a box for before this one. Jackie had a 1-for-3 day with a double. (The three at-bats suggest he may have drawn a walk.) Rain fell through the final two innings, and the scheduled second game was called off.
Fay Young's "Through The Years" column, June 2 Chicago Defender
Pitchers Booker McDaniels and Gentry Jessup faced off for the third time of the year. Both went the distance. McDaniels allowed eight Giants hits and Jessup allowed seven Monarchs safeties. Both struck out two and walked two. Sounds like an even match-up, but Chicago apparently did a better job of bunching baserunners in managing a 6-2 win. Monarchs manager Frank Duncan had Jackie Robinson in the the sixth spot of the batting order after batting him third in every game I've seen a box for before this one. Jackie had a 1-for-3 day with a double. (The three at-bats suggest he may have drawn a walk.) Rain fell through the final two innings, and the scheduled second game was called off.
From the June 2 Chicago Defender summary:
The Giants, all dolled up in their new uniforms, looked and played like a big league club. This of course does not detract from the performance of the Monarchs, especially Jackie Robinson, the Pacific Coast star who the Boston Red Sox owner said was of big league calibre. Jackie, who was recently discharged from the army where he served as lieutenant, handled nine chances in short perfectly. He contributed a double in the fourth with Moody on first but the Monarchs couldn't score as (Dave) Harper, who played stellar football at Clark college in Atlanta, looked at the third strike float by.
June 2 Pittsburgh Courier summary and box
Fay Young's "Through The Years" column, June 2 Chicago Defender
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