On this day (July 5) 75 years ago, Larry Doby debuted for Cleveland. The 23-year-old Doby took the field 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson, making him the second Black player to break the color barrier — and the first in the American League. Unlike Robinson, Doby did not play a single game in the minor leagues. Cleveland owner, Bill Veeck, purchased Doby’s contract from the Newark Eagles of the Negro League and placed him right on the Cleveland roster.
While Doby was second to break the barrier, he didn’t have it any easier than Robinson – we’re talking only 11 weeks. Yet, like Robinson, Doby persevered. Doby went on to be a seven-time all-star center fielder. He, along with his teammate (and some say the greatest pitcher of all time) Satchel Paige, became the first Black player to win the World Series in 1948. That journey is chronicled in the amazing book “Our Team” by Luke Epplin.
In 1954, Doby was second in AL MVP voting and led the league in home runs and RBIs. Doby retired from baseball in 1962 and went on to become the second Black manager in MLB history (behind Frank Robinson). Doby was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 (far long overdue). He passed away in 2003 at the age of 79.
Doby was a pioneer by every definition of the word. He will forever be linked with (and in the shadow of) Robinson, but that doesn’t mean that Doby did not blaze his own path. Check out these historic accomplishments:
- The first player to go from the Negro Leagues directly to the Majors
- First Black player to hit a home run in the World Series
- The first player to win championships in the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues (along with Paige)
- First Black player to win a home run title in the Majors
- First Black player to win an RBI title in the American Leauge
For these accolades, and many more, there has been a growing movement to recognize Larry Doby Day throughout Major League Baseball, and I agree. Those players that want to wear #14 should all be allowed to wear it on July 5th. I hope MLB will give Doby’s legacy that well-deserved honor.
