Indians’ Doby remembered on Jackie Robinson Day

Every Major League player, manager and umpire in games played April 15 wore No. 42 to commemorate the anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers on that date in 1947.

Even casual baseball fans know Robinson wore 42, if only from watching the 2013 movie “42” about the hardships Robinson faced as the first African-American player in the Major Leagues.

That leads to this question: How many people know what number Larry Doby wore? Or how about the broader question: How many people know anything about Doby’s story?

Larry Doby broke the color barrier in the American League playing for Cleveland Indians back at a time when the Indians needed a boost to catch the Yankees in the standings. He made his debut on July 5, 1947 — less than two months after Robinson played his first game. Doby wore No. 14, by the way.

It is one of six numbers retired by the Indians along with Earl Averill (3), Lou Boudreau (5), Mel Harder (18), Bob Feller (19) and Bob Lemon (21).

Doby faced every obstacle and prejudice Robinson had to contend with — different hotels, different restaurants and different stadiums. The slurs, threats and hate-filled insults were the same.

A statue honoring Doby stands outside Progressive Field, but he does not get the national recognition he deserves. Both Doby and Robinson are in the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“I do think it’s an

honor to wear this hat today with the 42 on it,” Indians manager Terry Francona said on Zoom before the Indians finished a four-game series with the White Sox in a day game. “I also think today’s a day to think about Larry Doby. He came a couple months after Jackie and I’m sure they weren’t having parades for him.

“The other thing is, I understand, they use the word ‘celebrate.’ I just think we need to remember that it’s a shame that we have to celebrate trying to treat people the same. That, to me, we shouldn’t be there. Unfortunately, we still seem like we have a ways to go.”

Heightened racial tension has dominated the news cycle much of this

millennium. Robinson and Doby faced hostile receptions not only from fans and others outside baseball, but also from at least some of their teammates as well as players on opposing teams.

Present day locker rooms are the melting pots the rest of society should be — and probably could be if leaders would get out of the way and not tell people what to think. Instead of letting society figure out on our own how to pull the rope in the same direction, our government leaders do more to divide than unite.

“The coaches were talking about this earlier,” Francona said. “I think a Major League Baseball clubhouse is actually — I think if the world could see into it, they could

probably learn something.

“You take people from a bunch of different backgrounds and you cram them into a room and you travel together for nine months and you coexist. Some of the time, you can’t even understand what the other person’s saying. But I think there are a lot of lessons that people could learn from looking at a clubhouse.”

Jackie Robinson Day annually provides a time for reflection. Likewise, every July 5 should be Larry Doby Day. At minimum, every Cleveland Indians player should wear the uniform number No. 14 that day. Reach Schudel at JSchudel@News-Herald. com. On Twitter: @jsproinsider

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Larry Doby, shown in March 1951, followed Jackie Robinson across baseball’s color barrier as the AL’s first Black player.