From SABR member Dan D’Addona at the Holland Sentinel on July 5, 2017:
Great firsts are always remembered in history, but it is amazing how some great seconds are nearly forgotten completely — especially by younger generations.
Seventy years ago, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, joining the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. The day is celebrated throughout the game with everyone wearing Robinson’s No. 42 that day — and no other day as 42 is retired by all teams.
But also 70 years ago, Larry Doby became the second player to break the color barrier, on July 5, 1947, with the Cleveland Indians. Doby was the first to integrate the American League and came just 81 days after Robinson broke the barrier in the National League.
And Doby is largely forgotten by baseball fans outside of Cleveland — even in Cleveland — because of those 81 days, rather than being remembered for breaking a barrier in the same year as Robinson.
Originally published: July 5, 2017. Last Updated: July 5, 2017.