Monessen honors baseball legend

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

As the Journey hit “Don’t Stop Believin’” rang out over Monessen, Mayor Matt Shorraw and Josh Gibson’s great-grandson, Sean Gibson, unveiled a historical marker Thursday near the site of his legendary 538-foot home run in the city.

The Homestead Grays legend hit what became the second-longest homer of his career out of Monessen’s Page Park Ballfield during a Negro League game July 24, 1938. 

Shorraw thanked Monessen resident Frank Lopresti and Dan Zyglowicz of the Greater Monessen Historical Society for helping to determine the exact date of the home run.

Sean Gibson also thanked Lopresti, who contacted him a few years ago about the home run, looking for more information.

Shorraw said he’d first heard of Monessen’s Page Park from his grandmother, who related tales of attending baseball games there while dating his grandfather.

“I had no idea my love of Monessen history would lead me to recall her stories one day and having this honor,” Shorraw said.

The mayor explained that Page Park was a place for recreational games involving the city’s mills, minor league teams and Negro League teams.

“Josh Gibson died in 1947. He had no idea his legacy would still be carried on like this,” Sean Gibson said. “He had no idea he would be in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. 

“These guys played the game because they loved the game. We know they endured certain things because of racism. Looking down on us now, he’s probably amazed and excited that his name is still being carried on after all these years.”

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