1947: Jackie Robinson

From History.com:

Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier

On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson, age 28, becomes the first African-American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson broke the color barrier in a sport that had been segregated for more than 50 years. Exactly 50 years later, on April 15, 1997, Robinson’s groundbreaking career was honored and his uniform number, 42, was retired from Major League Baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig in a ceremony attended by over 50,000 fans at New York City’s Shea Stadium. Robinson’s was the first-ever number retired by all teams in the league.

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Read the rest there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XY-XshGhMU&feature=player_embedded

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8 Comments

  1. Qwikness says:

    Out

  2. acricketchirps says:

    He was out, but of course I’m racist.

  3. Random Friar says:

    An interesting note: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/04/jackie-robinson-was-not-the-first-african-american-to-play-major-league-baseball/

    Sadly, Robinson’s team, the Dodgers, ended up throwing out an entire vibrant hispanic neighborhood to make way for the new Dodgers field (hence “Chavez Ravine”).

    But I’m a rad-trad: extra Brooklyn Dodgers non existet.

  4. Random Friar says:

    Oh, and of course: Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.

  5. Simon_GNR says:

    Interesting to see film of baseball in the days before batters wore protective helmets. It looked “out” to me too, BTW.

  6. torch621 says:

    I disagree, I think Yogi just missed the tag. But that could just be the Red Sox fan in me.

  7. xavier217 says:

    He was safe. There is footage filmed from the 3rd base side: it more clearly shows Robinson gets in under Berra’s tag.

  8. JonPatrick says:

    Random Friar I agree with you about the Lex clavatoris designati. It is to Baseball what communion in the hand is to the Catholic Church.

Comments are closed.