By: Alisha Bains, Brittney Corrado, and Laila Schwin
February 9, 2021
Lawrence (Larry) Doby was born December 13, 1923, in Camden, South Carolina. He was a professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues and in Major League Baseball. He was the second African American player to break baseball’s color barrier and the first African American player to be in the American League.
Doby’s baseball career was extensive and extremely successful. At age 17, he joined the Newark Eagles, a baseball team in the Negro Leagues, as their second baseman. His time with the team was cut short when he joined the Navy during World War II. He returned from his service in 1946 and helped the Eagles win the Negro League World Series Title.
In July of 1947, three months after Jackie Robinson made history as the first African American to break baseball’s color barrier, Doby signed with the Cleveland Indians. Doby was the first player to go directly to the majors from the Negro Leagues.
While Doby’s introduction to the major league was just shortly after Robinson’s, Doby received none of the support that Robinson did. He faced severe racism from all sides, including from his own teammates. Doby was introduced into this with a lot against him, including being forced to change positions in his first season with the Indians. However, he persevered and went on to be one of the most important players of that time and in Indians’ history.
In 1954, Doby was the American League’s RBI leader. Additionally, in his final season with the Indians in 1955, he was selected to the All-Star Game, his seventh consecutive.
After the previous season, Doby was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1955, and in 1956, he helped them compile an 85-69 record. He then went back to the Cleveland Indians in 1958 before being traded to the Detroit Tigers in 1959 and then (yet again) to the Chicago White Sox.
After his playing days, Doby went on to become the second African American manager in MLB history when he became manager for the Chicago White Sox.
As time passed, he was selected and inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.
Larry Doby passed away on June 18, 2003, in Montclair, New Jersey, at the age of 79. He was honored for his legacy by many.
While Doby may not have been the first African American MLB player or the first African American MLB manager, his legacy is just as impactful as the first, and he may have been even more successful. And, we are glad that he made his impact here in Cleveland.
Go Tribe!
{Editor’s Note: Information for this article was retrieved from Baseballhall.org.}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 