Lick Carlisle

Lick Carlisle
Lick Carlisle
	Second baseman
	Born: February 5, 1910; Wenonah, Alabama
	Died: November 18, 1972 (aged 62); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
	1931, for the Birmingham Black Barons
Last appearance
	1948, for the New York Cubans
Teams
	Birmingham Black Barons (1931); Montgomery Grey Sox (1932); Memphis Red Sox (1933); Birmingham Black Barons (1934); Homestead Grays (1935–38, 1940–44, 1946); New York Cubans (1948);

Matthew Carlisle (February 5, 1910 – November 18, 1972), nicknamed "Lick", was an American professional baseball infielder who played in the Negro leagues. He spent the majority of his career with the Homestead Grays.

Carlisle was born in Wenonah, Alabama; as an adult, he worked as a coal miner. In 1931, he played as the starting shortstop for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro leagues, batting .268 for his rookie season. The following year, Carlisle signed with the Montgomery Gray Sox, and had stints with teams active in Memphis and New Orleans in 1934.^{[citation needed]}

In 1935, Carlisle signed with the Homestead Grays, situated as the team's starting second baseman.^{[citation needed]} Hitting .379 on the season, he was nonetheless better known for his defensive capabilities on the field and as a legitimate base stealing threat on the basepaths.^[1] Oftentimes, Carlisle hit second in the line-up, in front of teammates Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. His struggles in 1938, however, after posting just a .139 batting average (BA), precipitated the loss of Carlisle's starting role to Sammy Bankhead in 1939.^{[citation needed]}

A year later, Carlisle was reinserted as a starter, batting .278. With the Grays, he won the 1943 Negro World Series but went 0-for-9 during the series. Carlisle served in the US Navy during World War II,^[2] and spent the remainder of his baseball career as a utility man before retiring in 1946.^{[citation needed]}

Carlisle died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1972; he was 62 years old.^{[citation needed]}

References[edit]

^ Lester, Larry (2001). Black Baseball in Pittsburgh. Arcadia Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 9780738505312.
^ "Negro Leaguers Who Served With The Armed Forces in WWII". Gary Bedingfield's Baseball in Wartime. baseballinwartime.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2020.

External links[edit]

Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference and Seamheads
Matthew 'Lick' Carlisle at Negro League Baseball Players Association

[1] Lester, Larry (2001). Black Baseball in Pittsburgh. Arcadia Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 9780738505312.

[2] "Negro Leaguers Who Served With The Armed Forces in WWII". Gary Bedingfield's Baseball in Wartime. baseballinwartime.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2020.

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