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(Author's note: I originally posted this article on scorum.com. Since scorum is basically dead and nobody reads the posts over there, I figured I'd post it here on Hive where somebody may actually read it since the topic is still relevant.)
Starting in 2004, MLB declared April 15th to be Jackie Robinson Day to commemorate Robinson's breaking of baseball's color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. It is a day that should be celebrated, baseball's unwritten "rule" preventing black ballplayers from playing in the major leagues was not only ignorant but also robbed the fans of the chance to see generations of exciting talent.
However there are two things that irritate me about Jackie Robinson Day. The first is trivial. Every player, coach and manager wears the #42, Robinson's number. It just looks dumb. A nice #42 commemorative patch on the sleeve (which the player's uniforms also sport on April 15th) would serve the same purpose of honoring Robinson. Of course the real purpose of everyone wearing the #42 is to promote the sales of jerseys, so this "tradition" isn't going anywhere. Baseball loves to honor its heroes, especially when it brings in the dollars.
The second thing that irritates me was actually brought up by Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona. Now trust me, I hate to agree with Francona about anything (and if you wonder why just click here to see his managerial record with the Phillies) but he has a valid point in wondering why nobody talks about Larry Doby.
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There was no interleague play between the National and American Leagues in 1947. They didn't share the same umpires or officials outside of the Commissioner. There was no universal draft. The players did not have a union to represent them. There was no national television contract. In 1947 the two leagues were very separate entities. When Jackie Robinson stepped onto the diamond for the first time on April 15th he broke the color barrier for the National League. It was only eleven weeks later on July 5th when Larry Doby came up to bat for the Cleveland Indians to break the color barrier in the American League. Yet nobody seems to remember Larry Doby, which is disheartening.
Sure Jackie made it to the majors first. Yet Larry was right behind him and had to face the same problems as Jackie that season: teammates who didn't want him, abuse from the fans and opposing teams, denial of service at various hotels and restaurants. It wasn't easy for either man, but both showed the same strength of character to rise above the hate and become baseball superstars. But while Jackie Robinson is routinely celebrated as an American hero, Larry Doby doesn't even get mentioned. Before his death in 2003 Doby let it be known the situation bothered him by mentioning how little publicity he received for breaking down the barriers Robinson didn't reach.
Despite coming up after Robinson, Larry Doby still achieved many firsts for Black Americans. He was the first ballplayer to go straight from the Negro Leagues to the majors. Robinson was broken in more softly by spending a year playing AAA baseball for Montreal in 1946.
Doby was the first black major league baseball player to appear in Cleveland, Detroit and Washington D.C. He was the first to play in such historic venues as Comiskey Park, Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. In 1948 Larry became the first black man to hit a home run in the World Series. That same year Doby and his teammate Leroy "Satchel" Paige became the first black men to play for a World Series Champion.
After his playing days were over, Doby worked as a coach and a scout for several teams and hoped to become the first black man to manage a major league team. He was denied of the honor when another Robinson, Frank, was hired to manage the Cleveland Indians in 1975. Ironically Doby was the Indians batting coach in 1974. In 1978 Doby became baseball's second black manager when he was hired to run the Chicago White Sox by owner Bill Veeck, the same man who signed him to play in 1947 for Cleveland.
Larry Doby hasn't been completely forgotten. The Indians retired his #14 in 1994 and in 2015 unveiled a statue of him that resides at their home park, Progressive Field.
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Although it took much longer than necessary, Doby was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. His career stats were hampered by injuries, but the two-time American League home run champ was a star player as well as a pioneer. Since his playing days ended in 1959, that induction was long overdue.
You can see Doby's full major league stats by clicking here to see his profile on www.baseball-reference.com.
So while it is all well and good to celebrate the career of Jackie Robinson, don't forget about Larry Doby. Larry had to fight the same battles in the American League as Jackie did in the National League without receiving the same accolades. MLB and ESPN might not want to remember that in the same way, but we are smarter than those morons.
Maybe MLB will the see the light one day and place Robinson patches on National League uniforms while placing Doby patches on American League uniforms. That would be the fair thing to do. But since it wouldn't generate jersey sales I'm not going to hold my breath.