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Jackie Robinson made history on April 15, 1947.
That day, he became the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the twentieth century. He was brave to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Lots of white fans and even players wanted baseball to remain all white. But Robinson promised Dodgers’ president Branch Rickey that he wouldn’t react to any attacks, physical or verbal. Sadly, there were plenty of attacks.
Even players on his own team signed a petition protesting his hiring. People sent threatening letters, and fans yelled insults from the stands. Pitchers threw balls at his head. Other players aimed their spikes at him when they slid into the base he was covering. But Jackie Robinson kept his promise. He might have been hurt and angry, but he didn’t fight back. Instead, he hit the ball as hard and as far as he could, and he kept stealing bases.
By keeping his promise, Jackie Robinson showed the world that he was a great baseball player. More important, he showed that he also was a great man.
▲ Jackie Robinson was a good hitter, a fast runner, and an excellent fielder. He was also great at stealing bases. It’s nearly impossible to steal home base, but he did it—19 times! He mostly played second base but played other positions well. After his first season in the majors, Robinson was named Rookie of the Year. He was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1949. During the ten years he played Major League Baseball, Robinson played in six All-Star games.
◀ Branch Rickey liked to do things differently. He was the first person to develop a minor league farm system for teaching young players. He also created the first full-time spring-training park. Rickey wanted players to use batting cages and pitching machines. He also wanted them to use batting helmets. However, Rickey’s most important contribution to baseball was signing Jackie Robinson.
When Jackie Robinson changed Major League Baseball from being a game that only whites could play, much of U.S. society was segregated (blacks were kept separate from whites). The civil rights movement was still ten years away, but things were changing. African Americans, including Robinson, had served in a segregated army during World War II. However, in 1948, President Harry Truman signed an order to end segregation in the armed forces. ▶
The Dodgers played in Ebbets Field, which opened in 1913, and the last game played there was in 1957, after which the team moved to Los Angeles. In 1960, the stadium was torn down, and replaced with apartment buildings. ▼
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