First Black in the American League
Doby was the first black player in the American League, and the second black player in the Major Leagues, behind Jackie Robinson. Doby, however, never had to play in the Minor Leagues, he made the jump straight from the Negro Leagues to the Majors, which was uncommon (Moore).
Bill Veeck, owner of the Cleveland Indians, began to take notice of Doby's performance in the Negro Leagues, and after hearing the news of Jackie Robinson, Veeck decided that he wanted to give other negroes the chance, so he signed Doby in July 1947. Veeck claimed that Doby was the best player for the job because he was a great player that had the capability of long term success. So, on July 5, 1947, Doby made his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians, where he was put in the game as pinch hitter. He struck out in his first at bat, but with experience, he made for a great player and contributed to the Cleveland Indian World Series title in 1948 (Veeck).
When he made the move from the Negro Leagues to the Major Leagues, Doby faced a lot of discrimination. When he was introduced to his teammates, many of them would not shake his hand. These few teammates were fired by Bill Veeck immediately. It took a while for him to become accepted by the team, but once he started having success, his teammates didn't care about his skin color (NY Times).
He was also discriminated against by opponents, fans, and umpires. Opponents and fans would call him names when he took the field, and there was one instance he recalls when he was spit on by an opponent (Vincent). Opposing pitchers would often purposely try to bean him with the ball as well. Umpires, often times, would not give him fair calls, but Doby didn't argue, because he knew he couldn't (Veeck).
Doby faced a lot of discrimination, but kept his cool most of the time. He didn't argue with umpires, didn't yell at opponents, and when fans taunted him he just took it. Bill Veeck explains that Doby had a very calm personality, and he didn't show emotions very well, even though all the discrimination was hard on him. The only time he ever fought back was later on in his career when an opposing pitcher attempted to bean him. He had held his temper in long enough, and charged the pitcher, throwing the first punch. This fight was considered another huge turing point in baseball history as it was the first time that a black player initiated a fight (Dorinson).
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