Jackie Robinson's 1947 Season
Branch Rickey Helps Robinson Break Baseball’s Color Barrier in 1947.
On the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's great civil rights accomplishment, in order to fully understand his importance to America's national pasttime, one must first consider baseball’s historic treatment of African-Americans. The first professional baseball league was established in 1869, and while there was no written rule that excluded black players, the team rosters were almost exclusively white. Only a handful of black players ever suited up for these early leagues, and most were treated horribly by fans and teammates alike. In 1887, at the urging of Hall of Famer Cap Anson, the National League owners agreed amongst themselves that baseball was a sport for white men only. That practice lasted for 60 years. Then Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson came along and changed everything.
Branch Rickey's Contribution to Baseball Desegregation
Branch Rickey had a hugely successful twenty year career as the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. During his tenure, the Cardinals won three World Series, and Rickey created a new minor league system that developed players exclusively for St. Louis. By 1945, Rickey had become the new GM for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and was charged with figuring out a way to replace the rival New York Yankees as baseball’s best team.
As a great baseball man, Branch Rickey was aware of the dozens of great players in the Negro Leagues. He had watched enough baseball in his time to know that many could star in the big leagues if they were just given the opportunity. One player that Rickey kept a close eye on was a black, former All-American running back and second basemen named Jackie Robinson. In 1945, Robinson was playing Negro League Baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs. For the year, he hit .381 and led the league in stolen bases.
Rickey soon met and befriended the star and quickly decided that Jackie had both the skill and the temperament to face the almost unthinkable challenge of playing in the all white Major Leagues. Rickey shocked the baseball world when he signed Robinson to a minor league contract in the winter of 1945. Robinson played the 1946 season with Brooklyn’s top minor league team, the Montreal Royals. He led them to 100 wins and a league title. By the next spring, Jackie Robinson was ready for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Jackie Robinson Breaks Baseball’s Color Barrier
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson played in his first major league game and succeeded in breaking the color barrier that divided baseball. Over the course of Jackie Robinson's rookie year, he endured racist taunts from both fans and opposing players. On his first trip to Cincinnati, the fans cursed, taunted, threw bottles, and hurled racist epithets at Robinson. The scene became so raucous and dangerous that Brooklyn manager Burt Shotton briefly considered pulling Robinson from the game.
But at the height of the madness, Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese, the team captain from the segregated southern city of Louisville, walked over to Robinson and put his arm around him, showing support for his teammate and essentially telling the crowd to shut it. They listened. After Reese’s move, the crowd quieted down and the game was able to move forward.
That game in Cincinnati was only one of the many indignities that Jackie Robinson suffered in his inaugural campaign. Because he had promised Branch Rickey that he would take whatever the fans could dish out, Robinson continued to silently endure the abuse. He also played his heart out. As a rookie, Jackie Robinson hit .297, scored 125 runs, stole 29 bases, and struck out just 36 times. He was a top-of-order spark who led the Brooklyn Dodgers to 100 wins and the National League pennant. At the end of the 1947 season, he was honored with the first Rookie of the Year award in Major League Baseball.
Although the Dodgers lost the 1947 World Series to Joe DiMaggio's New York Yankees in seven games, Robinson had succeeded in forever altering the landscape of Major League Baseball for the better and had an incredible impact in helping initiate America's Civil Rights Movement. On this the 60th Anniversary of Jackie's Robinson's historic accomplishment, we pay tribute to the man and the legend.
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Click on the link to read Jackie Robinson's Pro Career .
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