And finally, a monumental change happened this week within Major League Baseball after the organization officially incorporated statistics from Negro League players who were barred from the MLB during segregation.

The updated records mean some of baseball's greats like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, no longer hold top spots in history.

And star athletes like New Jersey's own Larry Doby and Monte Irvin are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

Ted Goldberg has the story.

Major League Baseball's decision to incorporate Negro League statistics into Major League record books has brought a new focus to Negro League players here in the state.

It's probably American ingenuity at its finest.

You don't want us to play.

We'll start our own league.

And it was a very good league.

The Negro Leagues had been recognized by the MLB for four years, but the league statistics had always been considered separate.

Paterson native Larry Doby made his pro debut with the Newark Eagles before breaking the color barrier in the American League with the stat change.

His son, Larry Doby Jnr, has new numbers to memorize.

Since I was little, I know 4250 684 rolls 4191 for Cobb.

They added some numbers to my father and I don't know what the new ones are because I grew up knowing what the big league ones are.

While some are thrilled with the league's decision, Doby Junior's reaction was more subdued.

He says Negro League players already considered themselves big league caliber, kept out of the majors by racism rather than talent.

I have to get with the new numbers, but, you know, like I said, he was lucky enough to start there and lucky enough to get a chance to play in the big leagues, the guys that didn't get a chance.

This is validating for them that saying what you did was valid.

It was Major league.

And that to me is where the focus should be, that they're being recognized.

I think that the Negro Leagues were always Major league.

Now it's just more formalized.

Brian La Pinto co-founded Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium, the site of many Negro League games and one of the few Negro League stadiums still standing.

It's really just kind of gives that opportunity to have these Negro Leagues players within the encyclopedia so you can look up a player and see what their statistics might be.

MLB historian John Thorn says incorporating Negro League statistics wasn't a simple decision.

There are chuckleheads who are driven by racism and will respond negatively, but there are also people with principled objections.

Your Negro League seasons tended to be longer than the 154 games than played by the American League and National League.

But most of their games were against semi-pro national barnstorming outfits because between league dates they had to fill their calendar.

What I.

Found offensive was that whenever they refer to Major League Baseball in that era, they called it organized baseball, whereas Negro League Baseball was not organized in their.

Eyes.

Paterson mayor and noted baseball fanatic Andre Sayer says this decision was long overdue.

I mean, it's unfortunate that it took 50, 60, 70 years for it to happen, but I feel there's a certain level of vindication.

MLB decision to combine stats finally means that Negro League players were right when they believed that they were worthy of playing on the same field as their big league competitors.

In Paterson, I'm Ted Goldberg.

NJ Spotlight News.