The history of baseball's major leagues goes back to 1876. There are records of black players in the sport's first decade, but there had been none after 1889, when a "gentlemen's agreement" barred their recruitment. However, in the aftermath of a great war fought in part against murderous racial doctrines, many felt that it was time to open doors to the nation's largest minority. Branch Rickey was one of those people and his business was baseball.
The Trailblazer
Rickey was general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers and, after making the St. Louis Cardinals one of the most successful teams in the majors, he meant to do the same in Brooklyn. No one will ever know the mix of altruism and baseball genius that led him to break the color line, but he deserves full credit for the vision and the follow-through. Before the war was over, he was looking for a man of unquestioned talent on the field whose conduct would disarm the expected race-based opposition.
After an extensive search, tryouts, and interviews, Rickey settled on Jackie Robinson, a four-sport athlete at UCLA, an officer in the late war, and a star of the Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs. In addition to this ideal background, Robinson was willing for a time to turn the other cheek to the verbal abuse he would undoubtedly encounter from players and fans. On October 23, 1945, Rickey announced Robinson's signing and assignment to the Dodgers' farm team at Montreal.
The trailblazer gave Rickey all that he asked for in 1946. He batted .349 and was a sensation with his base running and fielding. Equally important, he reacted to racial epithets with quiet dignity. Rickey kept his own counsel on the next step until the day before the beginning of the 1947 season and then announced that Robinson would play for the Dodgers.
Although Jackie had starred at shortstop and second base, the Dodgers had veteran fixtures at those positions, PeeWee Reese and Eddie Stanky. So Robinson played first base, an unfamiliar position, throughout his first big league season, and handled it effectively. He hit .297, led the league in stolen bases, and was voted Rookie of the Year as the Dodgers won the National League pennant. And despite the racial pressure, which extended to coldness or grumbling on his own team, he showed the same restraint as at Montreal. In July, the Cleveland Indians broke the barrier in the American League with Larry Doby, and by the end of the season, several more black players were in the majors.
With Stanky traded to Boston for 1948, Robinson moved to the more natural second base and formed a fine double play combination with Reese, who had gone out of his way from the outset to be friendly. Jackie had an almost identical year at the plate with a .296 average, and then broke through in 1949 with a league-leading .342 and Most Valuable Player honors. Although he never became as vituperative as those who had hurled insults at him, he now felt more free to speak out on discrimination and racism.
Short But Spectacul;ar Career
Jackie would hit well over .300 for six straight years and play on six league champions and Brooklyn's only world champion in 1955. His fielding, whether at second or at third base and in the outfield where he spent more time after 1952, was excellent, and his daring and intimidating base running style became a model for many other players. He was considered the spark plug of the Dodger teams of the 1950's who were later immortalized as "The Boys of Summer."
But Jackie had come to the majors at 28, and by 1955, he was wearing down physically. He had two sub-.300 seasons and finished with a .311 lifetime average. Still dangerous in the clutch, he drove in the only run to break up a tense 0-0 tie in the sixth game of the 1956 World Series. Traded after the season to the New York giants, he decided to retire.
He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and died much too young at 53. His impact on baseball was perhaps as great as any other individual.
Source: Baseball-Almanac.com
