Today's topic: Bullet Rogan. I must say that I'm learning that there were more African-American players in baseball history besides Jackie Robinson. Most of my life I've just heard about Jackie. So today I'm going to talk about Bullet Joe who's real name was Wilber Joe Rogan.


He was an American pitcher outfielder and manager for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro baseball leagues from 1922 1938. Renowned as a two-way player who could both hit and pitch successfully, one statistical compilation shows Rogan winning more games than any other pitcher in Negro leagues history and ranking fourth highest in career batting average. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.

Rogan's early baseball career took place in the U.S. Army, where he played for a famous team in the all-black 25th Infantry. After joining the Kansas City Monarchs, he was the top pitcher and one of the best hitters on a team that won three pennants from 1923 to 1925 and the 1924 Colored World Series. He became a playing manager in 1926 and led his team to another league title in 1929.

You’re listening to EPS. Im your host, Gail Nobles.