#Shortstops: Art of the pitcher

Mackie was known for his small-scale stylized portraitures of musicians, chefs, laborers and dancers, not of sports figures, so it's unknown why he chose to paint Williams. This portrait calls the viewer’s attention to Williams's physique and his legendary career as an athlete who made major strides for Black baseball players.

Williams was born in Seguin, Texas in the late 1880s and had Black as well as Comanche Indian ancestors. He was known for his fastball, which earned him the nicknames “Cyclone” and “Smokey Joe.” In his 27-year pitching career from 1905 to 1932, some sources attribute him with 125 wins and 56 losses, while others suggest a 107-57 record. Some state he played in a total of 111 games, including 104 complete games and seven shutouts.

Most sources agree, however, that Williams had nine wins (including four shutouts), two losses and one tie against white major league teams.

As a Black player in that era, he was never given a chance to play in the (white) major leagues, but Ty Cobb considered Williams a “sure 30-game winner” if he had ever been given the chance.

Williams faced extreme oppression and segregation. In 1950, a year before he passed away and three years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, Williams stated, “The important thing is that the long fight against the ban has been lifted. I just praise the Lord I’ve lived to see the day.”

Bill James ranked Williams, a 1999 Hall of Fame inductee, as the 12th greatest pitcher in baseball history, just behind Sandy Koufax and just ahead of Bob Feller.