| Jimmy Bonner | |
|---|---|
 Bonner in 1936 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: September 18, 1906 Mansfield, Louisiana | |
| Died: May 10, 1963 (aged 56) Oakland, California | |
| JBL debut | |
| October 23, 1936, for the Dai Tokyo | |
| Last JBL appearance | |
| November 10, 1936 | |
| JBL statistics | |
| Win–loss | 0–1 |
| Earned run average | 10.24 |
| Strikeouts | 2 |
| Teams | |
| |
James Everett Bonner (Japanese: ジミー・ボンナ, romanized: Jimī Bonna, September 18, 1906 – May 10, 1963)[1] was an American baseball player who played for Dai Tokyo in the Japanese Baseball League.[2] Joining the team in its inaugural year, he was the first African American to play baseball professionally in Japan, 11 years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.[1]
- ^ a b Sayama, Kazuo; Staples, Bill Jr. (2019). "Biography of Jimmy Bonner, Japan's First African American Ballplayer, by Ralph M. Pearce". In Ashwill, Gary (ed.). Gentle Black Giants: A History of Negro Leaguers in Japan. NBRP Press. pp. 211–219. ISBN 9781798510353.
- ^ Thomas, Dexter (July 14, 2015). "The Secret History of Black Baseball Players in Japan". NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2020.