Darius Bea
Right fielder / Pitcher
Born: (1913-12-15)December 15, 1913
White Stone, Virginia
Died: June 26, 2001(2001-06-26) (aged 87)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Batted: Left[1][2][3][4]
Threw: Left
Negro league baseball debut
1934, for the Baltimore Black Sox
Last appearance
1940, for the Philadelphia Stars
Teams

Darius Francis Bea Jr. (December 15, 1913 – June 26, 2001), also listed as Bill Bea,[5] was an American baseball right fielder and pitcher in the Negro leagues. He played with the Baltimore Black Sox in 1934 and the Philadelphia Stars in 1940, both of the Negro National League.

Career

Bea began his playing career with the Whitestone Blacksox in 1929.[6] In 1931, he joined the semi-pro Tappanoch Red Sox and then played for the Hainesville Giants.

In 1934, Bea joined the Baltimore Black Sox, facing 10 batters and striking out two in 2.2 scoreless innings as a relief pitcher in one recorded game.[7]

In 1936, in between his stints in the Negro major leagues, Bea both pitched and played in the outfield for the Congoleum Crescents.[8][9]

He joined the Philadelphia Stars, playing almost exclusively as a right fielder, where he hit .347 with three home runs in 38 recorded games in 1940.[10] He also pitched in relief in one recorded game, allowing three earned runs in 4.0 innings. Bea was released by Philadelphia in August 1940 after being unable to commit all of his time to baseball, due to the fact that he had a second job.[11]

He later played for the Camden Collegians,[12] managed the Washington-Philadelphia Pilots,[13] and played with the Eureka Red Sox in the Delco Baseball League until he was in his early 50s.[6]

Bea also served in the United States Navy during World War II.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Courier staff (May 18, 1940). "Elites Triumph 12-10 As 4,500 Fans Guffaw". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 17. "Hayes opened the last half of the ninth by working Lefty Williams for a walk. Parnell singled. Dean batted for Bea and walked". Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  2. ↑ Tribune staff (July 18, 1940). "Stars, Grays" Philadelphia Tribune. p. 13. "Jake Dunn, batting for Bea, nipped J. C. Hamilton for a single...". Retrieved Jun 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ Eagle staff (April 29, 1940). "Bushwick Hitters, Pitchers in Form; 15,000 at Official Opening See Philadelphia Stars Beaten Twice". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 15. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  4. ↑
    • Tribune staff (July 11, 1940). "Stars Split with Cubans Saturday". Philadelphia Tribune. p. 11. "Darius Bea took unto him self a likely ball and placed it on top of the clubhouse for the second home run of the day.". Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  5. ↑ Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
  6. 1 2 3 "Red Sox to Honor 'Old Pro' Doc Bea". Delaware County Daily Times . 1966-09-21. p. 30. Retrieved 2021-05-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Darius Bea pitching statistics at Seamheads". seamheads.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Crescents Loom as Team to Beat; Congo Negro Nine Shows Way in Semi-Pro Tourney". Delaware County Daily Times. 1936-08-03. p. 15. Retrieved 2021-07-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Sun Oil Beats Crescents, 3-2". Delaware County Daily Times. 1936-08-15. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-05-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Darius Bea batting statistics at Seamheads". seamheads.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Stars Release Three". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1940-08-10. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-05-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Phila. Daisies Face Collegians Tonight". The Morning Post (Camden, New Jersey). 1942-08-13. p. 19. Retrieved 2021-05-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Washington-Phila. Pilots Foe Of Anthracite League Leaders". Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pennsylvania). 1947-07-01. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-05-27 – via Newspapers.com.


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