Aug. 21, 1943
Birmingham Black Barons pitcher Alvin Gipson struck out 20 Philadelphia Stars batters on Aug. 21, 1943, establishing a Negro American League single-game record. Gipson split his first season between two major league black teams in 1941, going 0-4 with the Chicago American Giants and 0-2 with the Birmingham Black Barons. Despite having a 1-4 record the following season with the Black Barons, he was named to the West team for the East-West Game of all-stars. Gipson recorded a 7-15 overall pitching record with Birmingham from 1941 through 1946. He had a .162 batting average in 37 career plate appearances. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native was born Dec. 11, 1913 and died Nov. 21, 1992.
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