Major League Baseball is celebrating the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier on Friday, as the Hall of Fame infielder debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, at Ebbets Field. All 30 teams will honor Robinson by wearing his iconic No. 42 on jerseys, and special ceremonies are scheduled to take place across the country, on baseball diamonds of all sizes.
Robinson's presence with the Dodgers and perseverance through racism had a profound impact on American society and culture. He helped pave the way for African-American athletes in professional sports, and became a heroic civil rights activist. Dodgers president Branch Rickey signed Robinson because of his athleticism and fortitude. But there were several talented African-American players who could've been selected, like legendary pitcher Satchel Paige.
"Satchel Paige was hurt. Satchel Paige was a teammate of Jackie's [with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945]," Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick told The DA Show on Friday... "Satchel, in many respects, was the Negro Leagues. He was the Negro Leagues' biggest star. So, in his mind, he should've been the guy. But there was no way that they were going to take Satchel. It was too easy for the owners to say he was too old...
"I think Satchel was also a little too charismatic. You couldn't bring that level of charisma... It was too great a risk that a pitcher might fail. And the first guy can't fail, because if the first guy fails, then there's no second guy. They were waiting for failure... So Branch Rickey had a double-difficult task of identifying the right guy, because failure wasn't an option on either side of the equation."
Paige, who began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in the 1920s, was one of baseball's marvels. In July 1948, he made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians at the age of 42, and with a 2.48 ERA in 72.2 total innings, he helped them win the World Series. The franchise hasn't captured the crown since. In 1965, at age 58, Paige became MLB's oldest player, and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
Robinson made an immediate impact for the Dodgers on the field. At the age of 28, he won the league's Rookie of the Year award with a .297 average, 175 hits, 31 doubles, and a league-high 29 stolen bases. His second season was nearly identical, and in 1949, he won NL MVP with a 342/.432/.528 slashline, 124 RBI, and 39 stolen bases. Robinson called it quits after the 1956 season, and he retired with a career WAR of 63.8. He entered Cooperstown in 1962.
The entire baseball conversation between Kendrick and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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