Josh Gibson is now officially Major League Baseball's all-time batting average leader ... and Albert Pujols couldn't be happier about it -- telling TMZ Sports the MLB's decision to integrate Gibson's Negro Leagues numbers into its record book is "a great thing for baseball."
Rob Manfred's org. made the decision to absorb the legend's stats -- as well as everyone else's who played in the Negro Leagues from 1920-1948 -- on Wednesday ... and Pujols praised the move when we got him out at LAX a day later.
He told us it was the "perfect time" for Manfred and co. to recognize the greats -- saying it showed big respect for those who performed during that era.
Gibson was the big winner in the move -- in addition to becoming the MLB's new batting average king, he also earned the top spot in the OPS and slugging categories. Others like Oscar Charleston and Buck Leonard secured places near Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb on the historic lists with the decision too.
Several Major League records are now held by Josh Gibson as he and other Negro Leagues legends officially join the all-time leaderboards.
— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2024
The statistics of more than 2,300 Negro Leagues players launch today in a newly integrated https://t.co/Z3s2EpgF39 database that presents… pic.twitter.com/UyvCu0pSzi
Like Pujols, Manfred was thrilled to finally make the move official this week ... saying he hoped it would help fans more easily learn "about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson’s 1947 Dodger debut."