On this date in 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. All players will wear Robinson’s No. 42 in today’s games.
The following are the first black players for each Major League team. Note: The list does not include those expansion teams (such as the Mets) formed after 1961 when baseball had become fully integrated.
The Mets are in Cleveland today to play the Indians, whose first African-American player was Larry Doby, who followed Robinson by less than three months, but faced the same obstacles. After his retirement, Doby became an executive for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets in 1979.
The List
Dodgers: Robinson, April 15, 1947
Indians: Doby, July 5, 1947
Browns (became Orioles): Hank Thompson, July 17, 1947
Giants: Monte Irvin and Thompson, July 8, 1949 B
Braves: Sam Jethroe, Braves: April 18, 1950
White Sox: Minnie Minoso, May 1, 1951
Athletics: Bob Trice, September 13, 1953
Cubs: Ernie Banks, September 17, 1953
Pirates: Curt Roberts, April 13, 1954
Cardinals: Tom Alston, April 13, 1954
Reds: Nino Escalera and Chuck Harmon, April 17, 1954
Senators (became Twins): Carlos Paula, September 6, 1954
Yankees: Elston Howard, April 14, 1955
Phillies: John Kennedy, April 22, 1957
Tigers: Ozzie Virgil, Sr., June 6, 1958
Red Sox: Pumpsie Green, July 21, 1959
ON DECK: Mets Need To DH Wright In Cleveland