Joe Williams is probably one of the greatest pitchers of all-time. When you hear a statement like that you might anticipate career statistics supporting his excellence. This, however, is difficult because of poor record keeping of many black baseball games. It's just the way it is. Realistically, the best information we can gather is from individual performances considered in the broader context of what that performance meant and personal recollections. Joe Williams was a black ballplayer born in 1885/1886 in Texas. He was a big guy, 6'4", 240 lbs, the kind of guy who these days would probably end up playing football. He went by two nicknames, either "Smokey Joe" or "Cyclone Joe" Williams.
His greatest likeness in white baseball at the time was probably Walter Johnson. Exhibition games between black teams and white major league teams were not uncommon in the early 20th century--the gates revenues from games like this were appealing to both parties, neither of whom found financial security through baseball like we see today. Williams and Johnson once matched up in a game wherein they played to a 1-0 final score. It's unclear who won but from my readings I think it was Johnson. Even so, what a game it must have been to see two of the greatest fastball pitchers of all-time go at it.
Among the more gaudy numbers he produced was a single game in 1930 against the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs. In a game that lasted 12 innings Johnson struck out 27 batters! That's right, among a possible 36 outs he recorded 27 of them by himself. He is certainly to be considered a peer of the great Satchel Paige, possibly better. You hear less about Williams and more about Paige because Satchel eventually displayed his skills in front of the entire nation within MLB, winning the Rookie of the Year at the ripe age of 42. Still, Williams must have been a sight to see and, like Paige, pitched effectively well into his 40s. Around 40 years old he pitched successive shutouts against a team of white major league all-stars including the great Jimmie Foxx.
Ty Cobb, tagged a racist but that's another story, once flatly stated Smokey Joe Williams would have easily been a 30-game winner in the major leagues had he been given the opportunity. Williams' scalps claimed in exhibition play against major league competition include HoF pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. In 1912 Williams shutout the major league New York Giants--who represented the NL in the previous World Series. He reproduced this feat in 1916 when shutting out the Philadelphia Phillies and Alexander, 1-0--the defending NL champs.
Williams remains, and almost certainly shall remain, an elusive figure due to lack of written documentation of both his baseball accolades and personal history. Still, what can be gathered indicates Smokey Joe Williams was an incredible ballplayer, very much deserving of a place in the minds of those who enjoy baseball history.
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