Suttles' final seasons were spent playing first base for the Newark Eagles' "Million Dollar Infield" with Dick Seay at second, Willie Wells at shortstop, and Ray Dandridge at third. He also managed, and was highly respected. He is one of nine players to have won multiple league batting titles.
In 26 documented exhibition games against white competition, Suttles hit .374 with five home runs. He hit .329 with 179 home runs in Negro League competition, the latter number second on the all-time list in Negro League play, behind only Turkey Stearnes.
Legacy
Suttles, who stood 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), weighed in at 195 lbs,[1] and used a 50-ounce bat, was known for his power, including several 500+ foot homers; a game against the Memphis Red Sox in which he blasted three homers in a single inning, and a home run at Havana, Cuba's Tropicana Park that flew over a 60-foot (18 m) high center field fence and landed in the ocean. Willie Wells saw the homer and remarked, "He hit this damn ball so far it looked like we were playing in a lot; it didn't look like no ball park."[citation needed] It was because of Suttles' strength that he got his nickname, and late in games when a big hit was needed his teammates would encourage him with cries of, "Kick, Mule!"
Clarence Isreal, an Eagles player, was quoted as saying, "He was considered my dad. Suttles was the most gentle person I ever saw."[citation needed]
In 2001, writer Bill James ranked Suttles as the 43rd-greatest baseball player of all-time and the second-best left fielder in the Negro leagues.[2]
Death
Suttles died of cancer in Newark, New Jersey, at age 65. Lenny Pearson, who played with and for Suttles, recalled in John Holway's book Blackball Stars: "He told us, 'When I die, have a little thought for my memory, but don't mourn me too much.'"