List of first black Major League Baseball players

Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

The baseball color line excluded players of Black African descent from Major League Baseball and its affiliated Minor Leagues until 1947 (with a few notable exceptions in the 19th century before the line was firmly established).

Before 1885 at least three African-American men played in the major leagues: William Edward White, whose light skin color allowed him pass as white, played one game for the Providence Grays in 1879; Moses Fleetwood Walker, an openly Black man who played for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association between May 1 and September 4, 1884; and his brother, Weldy Walker, who played five games with the Toledo club between July 15 and August 6, 1884. Baseball officials essentially drew the color line against Fleetwood Walker. African-Americans had been excluded from major league baseball since 1884 and from white professional minor league teams since 1889. Following the 1891 season, the Ansonia Cuban Giants, a team composed of African-American players, were expelled from the Connecticut State League, the last white minor league to have a Black team.

The Brooklyn Dodgers broke the 63-year color line when they started future Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson at first base on Opening Day, April 15, 1947. The Boston Red Sox were the last team to break the line, when they inserted Pumpsie Green as an eighth-inning pinch runner in a July 21, 1959 game at Chicago.

Before 1885

Player	Team	League	First game	Last game
Template:Sortname	Providence Grays	NL	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	Toledo Blue Stockings	AA	Template:Dts	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	Toledo Blue Stockings	AA	Template:Dts	Template:Dts

After 1946

Key

†	Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Overall

Larry Doby became the first black player in the American League on July 5, 1947.

Below is a list of the first 20 Black players in Major League Baseball since Moses Fleetwood Walker's last major league appearance.

Player	Team	League	Date
Template:Sortname †	Brooklyn Dodgers	NL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname †	Cleveland Indians	AL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	St. Louis Browns	AL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname †			Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	Brooklyn Dodgers	NL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname †			Template:Dts
Template:Sortname †	Cleveland Indians	AL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname †			Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	Brooklyn Dodgers	NL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname †	New York Giants	NL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	Cleveland Indians	AL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	Boston Braves	NL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname			Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	New York Giants	NL
Template:Sortname
Template:Sortname	Cleveland Indians	AL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname †	New York Giants	NL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	Chicago White Sox	AL	Template:Dts
Template:Sortname			Template:Dts
Template:Sortname	Cleveland Indians	AL	Template:Dts

• Note: Johnny Wright was the second Black player signed to a contract by the Dodgers, and was on the roster of the 1946 Montreal Royals at the same time as Jackie Robinson, but never played in the Major Leagues.<ref name=SABR>Template:Cite journal</ref>

By team

The Boston Red Sox became the last team to field a black player when Pumpsie Green entered a game on July 21, 1959.

• Teams are listed by franchise; i.e., teams that relocated to a new city after already breaking the color line are not listed a second time.
• Expansion teams that joined the National and American Leagues after 1961 have been integrated from their first game and are not listed.

Team	League	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Player
Brooklyn Dodgers	NL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname †
Cleveland Indians	AL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname †
St. Louis Browns	AL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname
New York Giants	NL	Template:Dts‡	Template:Sortname
			Template:Sortname †
Boston Braves	NL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname
Chicago White Sox	AL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname †
Philadelphia Athletics	AL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname
Chicago Cubs	NL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname †
Pittsburgh Pirates	NL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname*
St. Louis Cardinals	NL		Template:Sortname
Cincinnati Reds	NL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname
			Template:Sortname<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Washington Senators	AL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname
New York Yankees	AL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname
Philadelphia Phillies	NL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname
Detroit Tigers	AL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Boston Red Sox	AL	Template:Dts	Template:Sortname

* Major League Baseball recognizes Curt Roberts as the Pirates' first Black player; however, Carlos Bernier of Puerto Rico, also a Black man, debuted on April 22, 1953.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
‡ Thompson and Irvin broke in with the Giants during the same game on July 8, 1949. Thompson was the starting third baseman, and Irvin pinch hit in the eighth.<ref name=SABR/>

By position

Roy Campanella became the first black catcher on April 20, 1948.

Position	Player	Team	Date
Pitcher	Template:Sortname	Brooklyn Dodgers	Template:Dts
Catcher	Template:Sortname †		Template:Dts
First base	Template:Sortname †		Template:Dts
Second base	Template:Sortname	St. Louis Browns	Template:Dts
Third base	Template:Sortname †	New York Giants	Template:Dts
Shortstop	Template:Sortname †	Cleveland Indians	Template:Dts
Left field	Template:Sortname	Boston Braves	Template:Dts
Center field	Willard Brown †	St. Louis Browns	Template:Dts
Right field			Template:Dts

See also

• History of baseball in the United States
  • Template:Section link
• Negro league baseball
  • List of Negro league baseball players
• List of first black players for European national football teams
• List of starting black NFL quarterbacks

References

Template:Negro League teams {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}}