Major League Baseball, the governing organization of professional baseball leagues and records, has reclassified the Negro Leagues as a “major league,” meaning that the statistics and records of the players and teams will be added to their major league totals, the Associated Press reports.

The ruling recognizes the level of competition Negro Leagues players faced, equating it to the whites-only leagues.  The Negro Leagues existed from 1920 to 1948 when Major League Baseball enforced segregation.  Jackie Robinson became the first Black player in the major leagues, joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Some players like Willie Mays and Satchel Paige played in both the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues during their career.  This ruling means their MLB records will include the stats like hits, runs, strikeouts and wins in their MLB career totals. 

Other players, like Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell and Turkey Stearnes, never played in the Major Leagues, but their statistics and streaks will be included in lists of achievements.  They are considered as good as or better baseball players than their contemporaries in the whites-only leagues.

Seven different leagues make up what are collectively called the Negro Leagues.  Many Negro Leaguers have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  MLB has incorporated the records of other leagues in the past, primarily those that existed before or at the beginning of the 20th Century.