Final Card Friday: 1959 Larry Doby

Ricky Bobby once said, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”  Unfortunately, that sentiment could be applied to many of Larry Doby’s accomplishments.  Just three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Doby joined the Cleveland Indians after the All-Star break, becoming the first African-American player in the American League. Yet, he was never given the credit and acclaim Robinson received, though he faced many of the same obstacles.  Both men had short, productive careers and led their teams to World Series titles. Frank Robinson was the first African-American manager in the Majors…Larry Doby was the second. Doby was even the second major leaguer to play in Japan. It always seemed like Doby was just off the mark when it came to historical accomplishments. Nonetheless, he was a tremendous player…and by all accounts, a true gentleman.

Though Larry Doby was the second player to break the color barrier, he did claim some firsts. He was the first Negro League player to go straight to the Big Leagues. He was the first first black player in the American League. In 1950, Doby hit the first home run of the 1950s. Then, he became the first African-American to hit a home run in the World Series and win the championship. On a non-baseball note, he was the first black player in the ABL, the basketball league that eventually became the NBA. Finally, Larry Doby was the first black player to lead a league in homers, which he did twice.

Larry Doby’s final APBA card was with the 1959 Go-Go Chicago White Sox. After starting the year with the Detroit Tigers, Doby was traded to the White Sox for $30,000. Unfortunately, as you can see by his card, his skills had deteriorated from his All-Star prime. APBA was kind with Doby’s last card. Though he only hit .230 for the season, I project this card to produce a .236 average. This card doesn’t have much going for it…no homers and a low on-base percentage. At the time, Doby was dealing with back issues and a torn rotator cuff.  After the season, Doby took his game to Japan. However, his skills had diminished so much that he retired after his stint in Asia.

I first became aware of Larry Doby in the early 1980s. For a couple of years, I lived in Florida. My brother and I use to ride our bikes to a local flea market to buy baseball cards. One day, I bought a 1957 Topps Larry Doby card. Still, to this day, I’m not sure why I bought it. Maybe I’d read about Doby in a book. Maybe I liked the look of the card. Whatever the case, I still have the card and it has become more important to me over the years. It’s especially important to me as a Tigers fan. Though officially Ozzie Virgil broke the color barrier for the Tigers in 1958, Larry Doby was Detroit’s first American-born black player. It’s unfortunate it took the Tigers eleven years to integrate. It’s not a coincidence the Tigers of the 1950s were frequently second division teams while those who integrated earlier challenged for more championships. By 1961, the Tigers had three players non-white players in their regular lineup…and they won 101 games. Throughout the rest of the decade, the Tigers were predominantly a first division club, culminating in the 1968 World Series title.

Finally, in 1998, the veterans committee elected Larry Doby to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was 33 years overdue. Some might say Doby’s career was a bit short to garner induction to Cooperstown, and that he never reached significant career milestones, like 3,000 hits or 500 homers. The same could be said about Jackie Robinson. However, like Robinson, Doby’s historical significance to baseball should have trumped any statistics he lacked. In the end, Doby received the recognition he so justly deserved. Unfortunately, he only had five years to enjoy it, since he died in 2003.