Mule Suttles
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| Mule Suttles is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame |
George "Mule" Suttles (March 31, 1900 - July 9, 1966 in Newark, New Jersey) was an American first baseman and outfielder in Negro league baseball, most prominently with the Birmingham Black Barons, St. Louis Stars and Newark Eagles.
Born in Blocton, Alabama, Suttles played one game for the New York Bacharach Giants in 1921, and broke into the NNL in 1923 with the Birmingham Black Barons. Suttles was known for hitting for power and batting average, all in one package. In five years with the Stars (1926-30), he led the league in home runs twice and in doubles, triples, and batting average once each.
In the East-West All-Star Game, he usually faired extremely well. He batted .412 overall in five such games with a whopping .883 slugging percentage. He also hit the first ever home run in the history of the East-West game.
In 26 documented exhibition games against white competition, Suttles hit .374 with five home runs, almost one in every five games. He hit .327 with 133 home runs in Negro League competition, the latter number second on the all-time list in Negro League play, behind only Turkey Stearnes.
Tales are plentiful about Suttles, who stood 6' 6", weighed 250 pounds, and used a monster 50 ounce bat, including several 500+ foot homers, a game against the Memphis Red Sox in which he blasted 3 homers in a single inning, and a home run at Havana, Cuba's Tropicana Park that flew over a 60 foot high center field fence and landed in the ocean.
Willie Wells saw the homer and remarked, "He hit this damn ball so far it looked like we were playing in a lot; it didn't look like no ball park."
It was because of Suttle's strength that he got his nickname, and late in games when a big hit was needed his teammates would encourage him with cries of, "Kick, Mule!"
Suttles final seasons were spent playing first base for the Newark Eagles' "Million Dollar Infield" with Dick Seay at second, Willie Wells at short, and Ray Dandridge at third. He also managed there as well, and was highly respected; Clarence Israel, an Eagles player, was quoted as saying, "He was considered my dad. Suttles was the most gentle person I ever saw."
Suttles died of cancer in Newark, New Jersey at age 66. Lenny Pearson, who played with and for Suttles, recalled in John Holway's book Blackball Stars: "He told us, 'When I die, have a little thought for my memory, but don't mourn me too much.'" Suttles was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
