Indians legend Larry Doby gets short-changed by MLB | Jeff Schudel
Jul. 10—The Guardians did a first-class job honoring Larry Doby during the four-game series with the Kansas City Royals this past weekend. But anyone not living in Northeast Ohio is probably unaware anything special happened.
Worse yet, many casual fans might be unaware of Doby's place in baseball history. I blame Major League Baseball for that oversight.
Fans attending the game with the Royals on July 6 at Progressive Field received a white T-shirt with "DOBY" printed in large red lettering and a likeness of Doby with an assimilation of his autograph next to his picture on the front of the shirt.
The message on the front of the shirt reads: "On July 5, 1947, Larry Doby became the first African American to break the color barrier in the American League. Dobby brought hall of fame talent and diversity to the Cleveland team, making an enduring impact on the game of baseball, the city of Cleveland and our nation. He symbolizes triumph, resilience, courage and grace. As a trailblazer, Doby answered the call to benefit the many who followed in his footsteps."
Doby played his first game with the Indians less than three months after Jackie Robinson started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, to become the first Black player to play a game in the Major Leagues.
Every April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day in the Major Leagues — not just for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Every player on every team wears "42" to honor Robinson. No player will ever wear 42 as his actual number again.
Every honor given Robinson is well-deserved. It is impossible to imagine what he must have endured. Yet Doby had to deal with the same prejudice and jeers everywhere he went — just not in Cleveland. More on that in a minute..
The Guardians honored Doby on July 5, the 76th anniversary of his debut, by issuing fans replicas of the cap the Indians wore in 1947. The cap is blue with a red "C" and a red bill. "Larry Doby is stitched in white script on the bill and Doby's number "14" is in red on the back of the cap.
The Guardians wanted to take the ceremony a step further. They asked permission from Major League Baseball to have every Cleveland player wear "14" as his uniform number on July 5. Not every player in the American League, mind you. Just the Guardians players. The request was denied by MLB.
A phone call and an email to Major League Baseball asking for an explanation drew no response.
Guardians manager Terry Francona wrote "14" with a silver marker on the front of his cap to honor Doby and maybe quietly protest MLB's tone-deaf decision. He was in favor of "14" uniforms.
"I think it's a shame we can't do that," Francona said July 6. "We've tried, and it hurts me a little bit. It's just — man, it's — it's just hard to fathom. I'm struggling to fathom — come on, man."
Allowing the Guardians to honor Doby by wearing "14" would in no way diminish or dilute the recognition set aside for Robinson.
Both Robinson and Doby are in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Robinson was 28 when he broke in with the Dodgers. He played 11 seasons, all with Brooklyn. He had a career batting average of .313, homered 141 times, drove in 761 runs and scored 972 times.
Doby was 23 when he debuted with Cleveland. His baseball career was interrupted in 1945 when he served in the military, so despite his young age he had already graduated from the School of Ridicule.
Doby played 10 years with the Indians and three with the White Sox. He batted .288 with 253 home runs, 970 RBI and 960 runs scored.
"I was standing out there during the anthem (on July 5) and Larry Doby Jr. and his family were 10 feet away from me," Francona said on July 6. "He's my age (63) roughly and I'm thinking 'His dad couldn't eat at the same place my dad could,' thinking about what he endured -hmmmph."
Terry Francona's father was Tito Francona. Tito played for nine teams in a career that spanned 16 seasons. He and Doby were traded for each other twice.
"For years I thought my dad was exaggerating, but he was telling the truth," Terry Francona said, paused, then continued. "Now my dad was traded for half the league, but twice is still (unusual)."
A bronze statue of Doby depicting him completing his swing stands outside Progressive Field, commemorating his skill as a player but also his achievement of breaking the color barrier. The statue is grouped with the statues of Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Frank Robinson and Jim Thome.
"If my father was here he'd be overjoyed," Larry Doby Jr. said at the unveiling ceremony on July 25, 2015. "This is for our family and for Cleveland. Dad told me he was never booed in Cleveland, and he always remembered that."
Wake up, Major League Baseball, and acknowledge Larry Doby's place in history.
