Larry Doby

Larry Doby was an American baseball player who, in July 1947, became the first Black player in Major League Baseball's American League, debuting for the Cleveland Indians just eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson broke the sport's color line in the National League, and enduring much of the same overt hostility from fans, opposing players and even some teammates that Robinson faced. Unlike Robinson, who had a season in the minor leagues to prepare, Doby was brought directly into the majors with almost no transition period, and he had to establish himself as an everyday player while also serving as a pioneering symbol under constant scrutiny. He went on to a strong career as an outfielder, helping the Indians win the 1948 World Series, in which he became the first Black player to hit a home run in World Series competition, and he was selected to multiple All-Star teams over the course of his playing career. In 1978 he became the second Black manager in Major League history, leading the Chicago White Sox, and he was later elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, honored for opening the American League to Black players at a pivotal moment in the sport's and the country's history.