By Matt Kelly
By the mid-1940s, Dodgers executive Branch Rickey had long utilized the minor leagues to create a successful feeder system for his ball clubs. Beginning with his creation of the modern farm system two decades prior, Rickey built the famous “Gashouse Gang” and had made the St. Louis Cardinals perennial contenders.
In his new post with the Brooklyn Dodgers, however, Rickey used his farm system for a nobler purpose: As a means to break baseball’s color barrier.
This year will mark the 70th anniversary of Rickey signing Jackie Robinson’s to a contract with the International League’s Montreal Royals, the Dodgers top minor league team. The transaction made Robinson the first acknowledged African American to enter organized professional baseball since Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1884. It also set the stage for Robinson’s eventual breakthrough into the major leagues less than two years later.
Rickey had arrived in Brooklyn with a private goal to break down Major League Baseball’s long-standing “gentlemen’s agreement” that had barred African Americans from taking the diamond. Though Robinson, who was a shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945, was possibly not the best player in the Negro Leagues, he emerged as a top choice after stars like Monte Irvin and Larry Doby had left to serve overseas in World War II.
Robinson had more than enough athletic talent to succeed at the professional level. He had lettered in four different sports at UCLA and was nicknamed “the Jim Thorpe of his race.”
His character, however, was of more importance to Rickey. The Dodgers executive foresaw the physical and verbal abuse that a black player would receive during a time when much of America was still heavily segregated. Robinson himself had been subject to a court case during his service in the U.S. Army after he had refused to obey a bus driver’s orders to sit in the back of the vehicle.
While Rickey admired the determination that helped Robinson win that court case, he knew it would take a quieter determination to succeed in the major leagues. In their first meeting in Brooklyn in 1945, Rickey told Robinson he needed a player that could subdue his emotions through unending abuse.
“Mr. Rickey, do you want a ballplayer who is afraid to fight back?” Robinson asked.
“No,” Rickey replied, “I want a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back.”
On Oct. 23, 1945, Robinson signed his contract with Montreal that would forever change professional baseball. Many of Rickey’s fellow owners and executives were outraged, and the press seriously doubted Robinson’s chances for success. On Nov. 1, a Sporting News editorial predicted that “the waters of competition in the International League will flood far over his head.”
Robinson changed many minds, however, in his very first game for Montreal. The Royals’ new second baseman collected four hits on Opening Day – including a three-run home run. The headline in the next day’s Pittsburgh Courier read “Jackie Stole the Show,” while New York’s Amsterdam News gushed that Robinson “did everything but help the ushers seat the crowd.”
Robinson flourished at the plate and on the base paths during that 1946 season for Montreal, leading the International League with a .349 batting average and 113 runs scored in 124 games. Furthermore, he was a huge draw as the Royals set an attendance record with more than a million spectators. In October, the league MVP Robinson led his squad to victory in the minor league’s Little World Series.
It was clear that Robinson’s skills could no longer be withheld from baseball’s top level. In the spring of 1947, Dodgers manager Leo Durocher was suspended by Commissioner Happy Chandler for conduct “detrimental to baseball.” The media frenzy surrounding Durocher enabled Rickey to somewhat quietly purchase Robinson’s contract and move him to Brooklyn. On Opening Day – April 15, 1947 – Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player in major league baseball’s modern era when he debuted at first base.
Robinson faced enormous cruelty throughout the season, starting with the Dodgers’ first extended road trip in Cincinnati. Amidst derision from fans and opposing players, Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a white man from Kentucky, placed his arm around Robinson’s shoulder. The gesture silenced much of the frenzied crowd, and Robinson would not look back after that.
“I was just trying to make the world a little bit better,” Reese later recalled. “That’s what you’re supposed to do with your life, isn’t it?”
Robinson quickly silenced any detractors in regards to his ability. The Dodgers’ new first baseman batted .297 his rookie year while leading the league with 29 stolen bases and finishing second with 125 runs scored. In recognition of his play, Robinson received the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s inaugural Rookie of the Year Award as he helped lead Brooklyn to the 1947 pennant.
At season’s end, Dodgers outfielder Dixie Walker – who had previously led a petition among some southern players to keep Robinson off the team – admitted his new teammate was “everything Branch Rickey said he was when he came up from Montreal.”
Robinson’s rookie season was just the beginning of a stellar career that would launch him into the Hall of Fame. In 10 major league seasons, Robinson batted .311 and stole 197 bases – the most of any player from 1947-56. He was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1949 and helped lead the Dodgers to six pennants. In the 1955 World Series, Robinson stole home in Game 1 in a series when the Dodgers finally defeated the crosstown rival Yankees to claim their first and only title in Brooklyn.
Jackie Robinson retired from baseball in 1957, but he continued to be a tireless advocate for civil rights and equality after his playing days were over. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962 in his first year eligible, and saw his uniform number retired by the Dodgers a few months before his death in 1972. Twenty-five years later, on the 50th anniversary of his major league debut, Robinson’s No. 42 was officially retired across all of baseball.
Reprinted with permission from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum receive free admission to the Museum, as well as access to exclusive programs, such as the Voices of the Game Series. Additionally, members receive a subscription to the Hall of Fame's bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, the annual Hall of Fame yearbook and a 10% discount and free shipping on retail purchases. For information on becoming a member, please visit baseballhall.org/join or call 607-547-0397. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Memorial Day Weekend through the day before Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week. The Museum observes hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. Ticket prices are $23 for adults (13 and over), $15 for seniors (65 and over), and $12 for juniors (ages 7-12) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations. Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our website at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.
By the mid-1940s, Dodgers executive Branch Rickey had long utilized the minor leagues to create a successful feeder system for his ball clubs. Beginning with his creation of the modern farm system two decades prior, Rickey built the famous “Gashouse Gang” and had made the St. Louis Cardinals perennial contenders.
In his new post with the Brooklyn Dodgers, however, Rickey used his farm system for a nobler purpose: As a means to break baseball’s color barrier.
This year will mark the 70th anniversary of Rickey signing Jackie Robinson’s to a contract with the International League’s Montreal Royals, the Dodgers top minor league team. The transaction made Robinson the first acknowledged African American to enter organized professional baseball since Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1884. It also set the stage for Robinson’s eventual breakthrough into the major leagues less than two years later.
Rickey had arrived in Brooklyn with a private goal to break down Major League Baseball’s long-standing “gentlemen’s agreement” that had barred African Americans from taking the diamond. Though Robinson, who was a shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945, was possibly not the best player in the Negro Leagues, he emerged as a top choice after stars like Monte Irvin and Larry Doby had left to serve overseas in World War II.
Robinson had more than enough athletic talent to succeed at the professional level. He had lettered in four different sports at UCLA and was nicknamed “the Jim Thorpe of his race.”
His character, however, was of more importance to Rickey. The Dodgers executive foresaw the physical and verbal abuse that a black player would receive during a time when much of America was still heavily segregated. Robinson himself had been subject to a court case during his service in the U.S. Army after he had refused to obey a bus driver’s orders to sit in the back of the vehicle.
While Rickey admired the determination that helped Robinson win that court case, he knew it would take a quieter determination to succeed in the major leagues. In their first meeting in Brooklyn in 1945, Rickey told Robinson he needed a player that could subdue his emotions through unending abuse.
“Mr. Rickey, do you want a ballplayer who is afraid to fight back?” Robinson asked.
“No,” Rickey replied, “I want a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back.”
On Oct. 23, 1945, Robinson signed his contract with Montreal that would forever change professional baseball. Many of Rickey’s fellow owners and executives were outraged, and the press seriously doubted Robinson’s chances for success. On Nov. 1, a Sporting News editorial predicted that “the waters of competition in the International League will flood far over his head.”
Robinson changed many minds, however, in his very first game for Montreal. The Royals’ new second baseman collected four hits on Opening Day – including a three-run home run. The headline in the next day’s Pittsburgh Courier read “Jackie Stole the Show,” while New York’s Amsterdam News gushed that Robinson “did everything but help the ushers seat the crowd.”
Robinson flourished at the plate and on the base paths during that 1946 season for Montreal, leading the International League with a .349 batting average and 113 runs scored in 124 games. Furthermore, he was a huge draw as the Royals set an attendance record with more than a million spectators. In October, the league MVP Robinson led his squad to victory in the minor league’s Little World Series.
It was clear that Robinson’s skills could no longer be withheld from baseball’s top level. In the spring of 1947, Dodgers manager Leo Durocher was suspended by Commissioner Happy Chandler for conduct “detrimental to baseball.” The media frenzy surrounding Durocher enabled Rickey to somewhat quietly purchase Robinson’s contract and move him to Brooklyn. On Opening Day – April 15, 1947 – Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player in major league baseball’s modern era when he debuted at first base.
Robinson faced enormous cruelty throughout the season, starting with the Dodgers’ first extended road trip in Cincinnati. Amidst derision from fans and opposing players, Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a white man from Kentucky, placed his arm around Robinson’s shoulder. The gesture silenced much of the frenzied crowd, and Robinson would not look back after that.
“I was just trying to make the world a little bit better,” Reese later recalled. “That’s what you’re supposed to do with your life, isn’t it?”
Robinson quickly silenced any detractors in regards to his ability. The Dodgers’ new first baseman batted .297 his rookie year while leading the league with 29 stolen bases and finishing second with 125 runs scored. In recognition of his play, Robinson received the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s inaugural Rookie of the Year Award as he helped lead Brooklyn to the 1947 pennant.
At season’s end, Dodgers outfielder Dixie Walker – who had previously led a petition among some southern players to keep Robinson off the team – admitted his new teammate was “everything Branch Rickey said he was when he came up from Montreal.”
Robinson’s rookie season was just the beginning of a stellar career that would launch him into the Hall of Fame. In 10 major league seasons, Robinson batted .311 and stole 197 bases – the most of any player from 1947-56. He was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1949 and helped lead the Dodgers to six pennants. In the 1955 World Series, Robinson stole home in Game 1 in a series when the Dodgers finally defeated the crosstown rival Yankees to claim their first and only title in Brooklyn.
Jackie Robinson retired from baseball in 1957, but he continued to be a tireless advocate for civil rights and equality after his playing days were over. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962 in his first year eligible, and saw his uniform number retired by the Dodgers a few months before his death in 1972. Twenty-five years later, on the 50th anniversary of his major league debut, Robinson’s No. 42 was officially retired across all of baseball.
Reprinted with permission from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum receive free admission to the Museum, as well as access to exclusive programs, such as the Voices of the Game Series. Additionally, members receive a subscription to the Hall of Fame's bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, the annual Hall of Fame yearbook and a 10% discount and free shipping on retail purchases. For information on becoming a member, please visit baseballhall.org/join or call 607-547-0397. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Memorial Day Weekend through the day before Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week. The Museum observes hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. Ticket prices are $23 for adults (13 and over), $15 for seniors (65 and over), and $12 for juniors (ages 7-12) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations. Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our website at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.