1919
Born January 31, 1919
Cairo, GA, USA
Jackie Robinson Marquee Hall of Fame 1962
Jackie Robinson played 1945 for the Kansas City Monarchs and reached Brooklyn in 1947, the first Black player in the major leagues since the 1880s. He did it under instructions not to respond to what was said to him, in front of crowds and opponents who tested that daily, and he was named Rookie of the Year at the end of it.
The playing record is not incidental to the story. He batted .313 with 1,568 hits and 203 stolen bases across 1,418 games, was Most Valuable Player in 1949, and was chosen for an All-Star team in each of his last six seasons, having also been picked for the Negro Leagues game in 1945. He hit for the cycle in 1948. Brooklyn reached six World Series in his ten years and won in 1955.
He retired after 1956 and went into business and civil rights work, and died at 53. The Hall of Fame elected him in 1962, in his first year of eligibility. Every club in the majors has retired his number.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 6 | 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 |
| Negro Leagues East-West Classic | 1 | 1945 |
| The Sporting News All-Star | 4 | 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 |
| Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3 | 1948, 1949, 1950 |
| Most Valuable Player | 1 | 1949 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1947 |
| The Sporting News Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1947 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | KCM | 36 | 129 | 27 | 50 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 16 | 0 | 6 | .388 |
| 1947 | BRO | 151 | 590 | 125 | 175 | 31 | 5 | 12 | 48 | 74 | 36 | 29 | .297 |
| 1948 | BRO | 147 | 574 | 108 | 170 | 38 | 8 | 12 | 85 | 57 | 37 | 22 | .296 |
| 1949 | BRO | 156 | 593 | 122 | 203 | 38 | 12 | 16 | 124 | 86 | 27 | 37 | .342 |
| 1950 | BRO | 144 | 518 | 99 | 170 | 39 | 4 | 14 | 81 | 80 | 24 | 12 | .328 |
| 1951 | BRO | 153 | 548 | 106 | 185 | 33 | 7 | 19 | 88 | 79 | 27 | 25 | .338 |
| 1952 | BRO | 149 | 510 | 104 | 157 | 17 | 3 | 19 | 75 | 106 | 40 | 24 | .308 |
| 1953 | BRO | 136 | 484 | 109 | 159 | 34 | 7 | 12 | 95 | 74 | 30 | 17 | .329 |
| 1954 | BRO | 124 | 386 | 62 | 120 | 22 | 4 | 15 | 59 | 63 | 20 | 7 | .311 |
| 1955 | BRO | 105 | 317 | 51 | 81 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 36 | 61 | 18 | 12 | .256 |
| 1956 | BRO | 117 | 357 | 61 | 98 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 43 | 60 | 32 | 12 | .275 |
| Career | — | 1418 | 5006 | 974 | 1568 | 287 | 55 | 141 | 764 | 756 | 291 | 203 | .313 |
On this day & linked events
1972
Died October 24, 1972
1947
Major-league debut: Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson made a major-league debut on April 15, 1947.
1947
Jackie Robinson's Major League Debut
Jackie Robinson takes the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, becoming the first Black player in the modern major leagues and breaking baseball's color line.
1947
The First Televised World Series
The 1947 World Series between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers becomes the first to be broadcast on television.
1948
Jackie Robinson Hits for the Cycle, 1948
Jackie Robinson hit for the cycle for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 29, 1948.
1956
Final major-league game: Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson played a final major-league game on September 30, 1956.
1959
Pumpsie Green Breaks the Red Sox's Color Line
Elijah "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first Black player to appear for the Boston Red Sox, the last major league team to integrate, more than twelve years after Jackie Robinson's debut.
1962
Jackie Robinson Enters the Hall of Fame
Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, fifteen years after breaking the sport's color line.
Image: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, public domain