1930 Detroit Stars season
The 1930 Detroit Stars played in the Negro National League at Hamtramck Stadium in Detroit. They finished 54–41 overall (52–37 in league play) and had a 24-game winning streak in July and August. The Stars won the league’s second-half title but lost to the St. Louis Stars in the postseason series billed as the Negro World Series. The team was owned by John A. Roesink and managed by Bingo DeMoss.
Attendance at the new Hamtramck Stadium was weak. In August, official scorer Russell J. Cowans published a critique blaming owner Roesink for upsetting fans with a series of decisions, including plans to have DeMoss arrested after protests, not advertising in black newspapers, inviting Ty Cobb to throw out the first pitch at the stadium dedication, not visiting fans injured in the 1929 Mack Park fire, not offering a contract to Turkey Stearnes at the start of the season, not providing enough funds on road trips, and staffing the park with white umpires, concessionaires, and ticket sellers.
Batting wise, the team hit .271, below the league average of .277. Turkey Stearnes led the Stars with a .326 batting average and a .566 slugging percentage. Wade Johnston hit .315 and had 10 triples, the most in the league. Ed Rile batted .304 with a .506 slugging percentage and tied for second in triples with nine, as did Crush Holloway, who hit .250. Jake Dunn batted .283 with a .415 slugging percentage.
Pitching staff posted a 3.89 ERA, third in the league, with 275 strikeouts. Key pitchers were Andy Cooper (9–6, 3.10 ERA in 19 games), Nelson Dean (9–8, 3.71 ERA in 19 games), Willie Powell (7–7, 4.60 ERA), and Albert Davis (6–7, 4.58 ERA). Cooper later was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006; Dean died in 1943; Turkey Stearnes was inducted posthumously in 2000.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 00:43 (CET).