WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) honored Larry Doby on Wednesday, the first African American to play in the American League when he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1947, with the Congressional Gold Medal.
The honor was for Doby’s career and contributions to the American Civil Rights Movement. Brown successfully fought to pass the legislation to award the medal in 2018.
“When we talk about integrating baseball, we hear about Jackie Robinson, and too often, the story stops there. We neglect the men who came soon after,” Brown said.
“Larry Doby is a key part of this story – a World War II veteran, the first Black player in the American league, the second Black manager in the majors, a civil rights pioneer. His bravery and determination changed baseball.”
Lawrence Eugene “Larry” Doby joined the Cleveland Indians in July 1947, becoming the first African American to play in the American League.
During his 13-year career in the American League, Doby tallied 1,533 games, batting .283, with 253 home runs and 970 runs batted in.
He played in two World Series, leading the 1948 Cleveland Indians to a World Championship over the Boston Braves.
While with Cleveland, he became the first African American player to hit a home run in a World Series game, led the American League in home runs twice, and was voted to seven All-Star teams.
In 1978, the Chicago White Sox hired Doby as their manager, and he became the second African American manager in Major League history.
He later served as Director of Community Relations for the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association. He was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2013.
Doby was born in Camden, South Carolina in 1923 and moved to Paterson, New Jersey in 1938, where he became a standout athlete at Paterson Eastside High School.
He attended Long Island University on a basketball scholarship before enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
He was discharged in 1946 and went on to play baseball in the Negro National League for the Newark Eagles, before joining the Cleveland Indians.
Doby passed away in 2003.