The Men who Broke Baseball's Color Line

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The Men who Broke Baseball's Color Line
Excerpt from Harvey Frommer's "Rickey and Robinson"

by Harvey Frommer

A member of the Society for American Baseball Research
more info

Monte Irvin: I was almost thirty one years old when I joined the New York Giants on July 5, 1949. Three days later against the Dodgers of Jackie Robinson at Ebbets Field, manager Leo Durocher called on me to pinch hit against Joe Hatten.

Behind me was the history of more than a decade of Negro League baseball, of being a five time All-Star. Nevertheless, as I got into the batter's box in Brooklyn, my knees started knocking and they wouldn't stop. I called time, stepped out, and stepped back in. I worked the count to 3-2 and then walked. I was so excited, I ran all the way to first base. It was a great feeling just to get there. That was how it all started for me in the majors.

Whenever I came into contact with Jackie Robinson, we would talk. He had his stories, and I had mine. It was not a time without incident. You'd walk into a room and some people would walk out. You'd sit down on a train, and one person, maybe two, maybe more would get up and walk away. This was 1949 in the United States of America.

I am grateful for the accomplishments I did have in eight seasons with the New York Giants helping them win two pennants, finishing among the league leaders in many offensive categories in 1951 and 1953, getting elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

But I regret that I did not get a chance to play major league baseball earlier. What happened to me should have happened ten years before. Still, had it not been for Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey, who knows if I would have ever gotten the chance. I say look at Josh Gibson. Look at Buck Leonard - all those fellows. Those guys were as good as any players who ever lived. They never got a chance.

Rickey and Robinson tells the story of the man who did get the first chance and the man who helped it happen. Together they made it possible for so many others. It is an important story, and nowhere is it told better than in this moving account written by one of my favorite sports authors. That's why I am so glad Rickey and Robinson has now been reprinted. It is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite sports authors. It should be required reading for all those who want to know more about Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey and the breaking of baseball's color line that long ago year of 1947.

ť Harvey Frommer is the author of the forthcoming updated Rickey and Robinson.

ť More submissions