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Red Ryan
Red Ryan
	Ryan at the 1924 Colored World Series
	Pitcher
	Born: July 11, 1897; Brooklyn, New York
	Died: August 16, 1969 (aged 72); Manhattan, New York
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
	1915, for the Pittsburgh Colored Stars of Buffalo
Last appearance
	1932, for the Newark Browns
Teams
	Pittsburgh Colored Stars of Buffalo (1915, 1920); Lincoln Stars (1916); Brooklyn Royal Giants (1919); Bacharach Giants (1920–1921); Harrisburg Giants (1922); Hilldale Club (1923–1929, 1931); Homestead Grays (1927); Baltimore Black Sox (1929); Lincoln Giants (1930); Harlem Stars (1931); Newark Browns (1932);

Merven John "Red" Ryan (July 11, 1897 – August 16, 1969), born Mervin Ferguson,^[1] was an American baseball pitcher in the Negro leagues. He played from 1915 to 1932 with several teams, playing mostly with the Hilldale Club.

Career

Ryan began his career with the Pittsburgh Colored Stars of Buffalo in 1915.^[2] He pitched for the Lincoln Stars in 1916 and Brooklyn Royal Giants in 1919 before joining the Bacharach Giants in 1920.^[2] The Bacharch club faced both independent black teams in the summer of 1920 before taking part in the Cuban League season that winter.^[1] He also pitched for the Pittsburgh Colored Stars in September 1920.^[3]

After playing for the Giants in 1921 and the Harrisburg Giants in 1922, Ryan joined the Hilldale Club of the Eastern Colored League in 1923, for which he would spend at least part of eight of the next seasons with.^[1] Ryan pitched in the 1924 Colored World Series, earning no decisions in both of appearances, as the club lost the Kansas City Monarchs.^[4] He pitched a game in relief in the 1925 Colored World Series, with Hilldale beating the Monarhcs for the championship.

Ryan briefly appeared for the independent Homestead Grays in the fall of 1927 before joining the Lincoln Giants in early 1928. He was traded back to Hilldale early in the season for George Carr and Nip Winters before being traded to the Baltimore Black Sox during the 1929 season. He pitched exclusively for the Lincoln Giants in 1930. In 1931, he pitched for the Harlem Stars before rejoining Hilldale later that year. Ryan was released by Hilldale in early 1932 and spent his final season with the Newark Browns of the East-West League.^[2]^[5]

Personal life

Ryan was the son of John Ryan and Georgana Ferguson. He married Ramona Cortes on September 6, 1924 in Manhattan.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Red Ryan pitching statistics at Seamheads". Seamheads.com. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll & Graf. pp. 687–688. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
^ "Bisons Play Their Last Exhibition Sunday Against Pittsburgh Stars". Buffalo Enquirer. September 25, 1920. p. 7. Retrieved February 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Red Ryan statistics at Baseball-Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
^ "Holloway To Hilldale; Red Ryan to N.J." Pittsburgh Courier. May 28, 1932. p. 7. Retrieved February 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:246C-V5T : 21 August 2022), Mervin J. Ryan and Ramona Cortes, 1924.