John Ritchey

Born: Jan. 5, 1923 in San Diego, Calif. 
Died: Jan. 14, 2003

John Ritchey, a catcher in the Negro Leagues in the 1940s, died on Jan. 14, 2003, at the age of 80.

Ritchey, a catcher, led the Negro American League in batting in 1947 as a member of the Chicago American Giants. Unofficial statistics show he hit .381. He was given tryouts with the White Sox and Cubs but was never offered a chance at the majors.

In 1948, Ritchey went to play for San Diego of the Pacific Coast League to become the first black player in PCL history. He started off with a bang with 7 hits in his first 11 at-bats.

He hit a career-low .257 in 1949 and the Padres traded him to Portland. In 1951, he joined Vancouver of the Western International League and had his best seasons in baseball. He hit .348 in 1951 to lead the league and was runner-up with 1952 with a .343 average.

His PCL career included stops with Portland, Sacramento and San Francisco.

He retired in 1955 and finished with a .282 average in 7 seasons in the Pacific Coast League.

He worked as a milkman and deliveryman following his career in baseball.

Sources: nlpba.com, AP obituary