Summer Wetzel
Ms.Treybal
English 1
November 27, 2018
Larry Doby; The forgotten outfielder
Everyone knows of the famous Jackie Robinson but there was another pioneer hidden in his shadow. His name was Larry Doby. People like Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson fought for justice and equality for African Americans in the United States. Larry Doby was the first African American to go directly from the baseball Negro Leagues to the major leagues when he was signed to the Cleveland Indians and played as an outfielder. Larry Doby grew up in Paterson, New Jersey (Izenberg).His parents were his mother Etta Doby and his father was David Doby (Mueller). His full name was Lawrence Eugene Doby (Mueller). Larry Doby lived from 1923 to 2003 (Mueller). Larry Doby, born in Camden, SC, was able to triumph over the tragedy of segregation in American sports when he played his first game with the Cleveland Indians in the American League on July 10th, 1947. By doing this Doby became the first African American to go directly from the Negro Leagues to the American Leagues and took a huge step in the right direction to end segregation in the United States.
For one thing, people in South Carolina, like other southern states at the time,South Carolina segregated African Americans from everyone else. But fortunately, Larry Doby didn’t live in South Carolina for long. When he was only eight years old, his father died in a fishing accident which caused him to move frequently and was cared for by his aunt and uncle (McMurray). “Four years after his father’s death, Larry and his mother left South Carolina and moved to Paterson, New Jersey” (McMurray).
Further, throughout America, African Americans were separate from others. There were even three different baseball leagues and only two were major. The other one called the Negro Leagues was made to separate African Americans from the other teams. Doby started in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles (Kiehl). When Doby was enlisted into the military during World War II he could recall the segregation in the military now left him in a deep depression (McMurray). Overall, African Americans in the United States during Doby’s time had to face racism everywhere they went and with anything that they did. This effected Doby during his baseball career while player with all white players.
Notably, Larry Doby experienced racism and intolerance during his baseball career just like Jackie Robinson (Mueller). Lawrence Eugene Doby experienced tragedy during his life just like Jackie Robinson, but Doby did not get the recognition that he did. Larry Doby was much like Jackie Robinson, but never got the same kind of recognition (Bechtel). Doby experienced resentment from some of his teammates. When making his entry to the Clubhouse at Comiskey Park, instead of welcoming him, Doby’s teammates tried not to look at him and did not speak to him (McMurray). Being the only only African American in a time of racism was hard for Doby, he would get taunted and threatened by many people, sometimes even other teams (Bechtel). An example of Larry Doby being harassed was when he played a exhibition game in Texarkana, Ark, when beer bottles were thrown at the back of his head and they were booing and cursing at him (Izenberg). Larry Doby was not treated well because of his race. “Larry Doby had to endure racial taunts and slurs during games, segregated living arrangements on the road and at home, and rejection from some of his team mates” (Kiehl). Overall, Lawrence Eugene Doby endured tragedy in his baseball career by being faced by racism and being resented and not given the same opportunity because of his skin color.
Furthermore, Larry Doby was able to overcome this racism and inequality, becoming a star on the Cleveland Indians, showing that skill is not based on race. The same day that he was booed and had beer bottles thrown at him, Doby was able to hit the longest home run in the history of that park (Izenberg). “Doby played very little in his debut season with the Indians, but soon blossomed into a perennial All-Star” (Mueller). Another way that Larry Doby was able to overcome the discrimination in the major leagues and be one of the two first African Americans to play on a World Series championship team and he also was the first African American to hit a home run in a World Series game (Mueller). Larry Doby was also able to achieve a .283 batting average, 253 home runs, and 970 runs batted (Hanson). He could achieve amazing stats all while being discriminated and hated. Overall, Doby was able to triumph over his tragedies and become an All-Star in the major leagues.
Particularly, Larry Doby was a role model for other African Americans trying to succeed in sports. “In addition to being a pioneer, Doby was an excellent player” (Kiehl). Lawrence Eugene Doby was able to do more than just get into the major leagues. He was able to be an excellent player and a star. Doby was able to change people for the better. Larry Doby was able to make friends with one of his white teammates and even become best friends with him (Bechtel). When Larry Doby played in the World Series he was able to do it with Satchel Paige that joined after Doby (Mueller). Lawrence Eugene Doby was able to inspire other African Americans to get into major leagues and show owners that it would be a good choice. Overall, the short impacts that Doby had were other African Americans trying to get into the American leagues because of him. It showed them that they can do it and succeed. It also showed them that they can overcome the racism of other players and fans.
For instance, African Americans after Larry Doby’s baseball career would later be allowed to play in the league with the white players and would be treated the same way. Larry Doby’s triumphs showed people how good African Americans can be in baseball. At Larry Doby’s arrival at the clubhouse at Comiskey Park, Larry Doby tried to shake his teammates hands but many of them refused (Penner). Nobody in today’s society in the United states would ever do that. People stepping up and making a change helped us be this way. “He was forced to room alone on the road, often in segregated hotels” (Swenson). This would not happen just because of race in present way as well. Overall, because of people like Doby breaking race barriers, people now live together and are not separated anymore.
In conclusion, Larry Doby was able to triumph over the tragedy of segregation of baseball, American sports, and the United States as a whole. He would go on to do this by ignoring racism and overcoming it. He was able to do his best while being hated and discriminated against. Being the first African American in the American leagues he took a giant step towards ending segregation in baseball, American sports, and America. Lawrence Eugene Doby could be a great baseball despite others trying to make it hard for him. He would go on to win a World Series and get great stats. He also was able to win many games and be an amazing player for the Cleveland Indians and other major league teams, as well as the Newark Eagles. His impact would last long after he made his many achievements and long after he died. Larry Doby inspired many after him to make breakthroughs for African Americans. Larry Doby and others like him would go on to inspire a whole generation.