Larry Doby

Larry Doby was already a star baseball player with the Negro League Newark Eagles and had served a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II when Bill Veeck signed him to play for the Cleveland Indians in July of 1947.

Doby was the first Negro League player to go directly to the Major Leagues and the first African-American player in the American League, debuting 81 days after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. In the spring of 1948 Larry became the first African- American to play in Arizona’s Cactus League.

Playing centerfield in the 1948 World Series Doby hit .318 and belted the deciding home run in Game 4, helping the Indians take the title in six games. He was a seven-time All-Star, leading the American League in home runs twice, finishing his 12-year Big League career with 253 home runs. Larry Doby was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.