Guardians set to honor Larry Doby in special ceremony July 2

Jul. 1—First, there was Jackie Robinson and then there was Larry Doby, but before both of them there was Marion Motley and Bill Willis.

Cleveland sports teams arguably do not get enough credit for their part in breaking color barriers for Black athletes, but that will be remedied somewhat on July 2 when the Guardians honor the 75th anniversary of Doby breaking the color barrier in the American League on July 5, 1947 as a member of the Indians.

The Guardians will celebrate the event July 2 by wearing a patch honoring Doby on their jerseys. The first 15,000 fans attending the 6:10 p.m. game with the Yankees at Progressive Field will receive a replica of Doby's 1947 jersey.

.@CleGuardians Sr. Vice President of Public Affairs Bobby DiBiasio leads the countdown unveiling a mural outside Progressive Field commemorating Satchel Paige, Larry Doby and Frank Robinson for breaking baseball color barriers with the Indians. pic.twitter.com/l3DeuWx8kf

— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) July 1, 2022

Doby made his debut by striking out in his only at-bat in a game against the Chicago White Sox in a game at Comiskey Park. Doby's first appearance in a major-league game occurred less than three months after Robinson became the first Black player in the majors when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

About four hours before the game July 1 with the Yankees was scheduled to begin, Guardians vice president of public affairs Bobby DiBiasio led a ceremony unveiling on an outside wall of Progressive Field a mural painted by local artist Glen Infante depicting Doby flanked by Satchel Paige and Frank Robinson.

Doby and Paige were both signed by Bill Veeck, who owned the Indians from 1946-49. Paige was the seventh Black player in the majors, but more notably he was the first Black pitcher — and at age 42 the oldest man ever to debut in a major-league game when he pitched in relief of Bob Lemon on July 9, 1948.

Robinson became the first Black man to manage in the majors when he transitioned from being a player on the Indians roster in 1974 to being named Player-Manager in 1975. In storybook fashion, Robinson hit a home run in his first at-bat as Indians' manager.

"I had to do some research to get some photos," Infante said. "One of the images wasn't clear and I had to make some changes. I had to get permission to use some of the images. I found some unique photos that worked."

All three men in Infante's mural have their place in the history of Cleveand's baseball franchise.

"I'm very proud, because those names are icons in the game of baseball and to Cleveland a little more special," said Larry Doby Jr., who flew to Cleveland from his home in New Jersey to be on hand for the mural reveal. "I think my dad would be very happy to share the spotlight with those two gentlemen."

Willis and Motley have their place in the history of Cleveland sports, too. Motley and Willis, playing for the Cleveland Browns in the All America Conference, along with Kenny Washington and Woody Strode of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL, reintegrated pro football in 1946. The four will be honored during Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in August in Canton.

Guardians manager Terry Francona knew Larry Doby Sr. personally. Coincidentally, Francona's father, Tito Francona, was traded for Doby twice.

Doby played for the Indians from 1947-1956. He was traded to the Whie Sox in 1957. On December 3, 1957, Doby was part of a package of players traded to Baltimore. Tito Francona was in the group going from the White Sox to the Orioles.

Doby was traded from the Orioles back to Cleveland on April 1, 1958 without having played a game for Baltimore. On March 21, 1959, the Indians traded Doby to the Tigers for Tito Francona.

"(My dad) got traded for him twice. And I checked because those stories have a way of ... ," Terry Francona said July 1 before the scheduled game with the Yankees was rained out. "Then, in one of the fantasy camps, it was back when they had it in Winter Haven probably in the 1990s, Larry was one of the guest coaches. We were all crammed in that little locker room there, which for me was a treat. I don't know if Larry thought it was a treat. But I did.

"He was reserved, quiet. Which is what I've always been told. If you talk to anybody that was around him, he wasn't going to be the first guy that's going to start the conversation."

Dobby was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 in a vote by the Veterans Committee. A statue of Doby stands outside Progressive Field.