Larry Doby
Larry Doby batted .301 in 1948 to help the Cleveland Indians to the World Series. Once there, he won Game Four with a home run and was part of the last Indians team to win the Fall Classic. Though he won a World Series title seven years before Jackie Robinson, it was the four-month lead Robinson had in integrating Major League Baseball that cast a huge shadow over Doby's career. Doby was a fine hitter and outfielder, leading the American League in slugging, OBP, runs, homers (twice), and RBI. A true pioneer, Doby was the first African-American to play in the AL, first to lead his league in homers, first to hit a World Series homer, and the first to win a World Series title.
Quotes About Doby
"I never asked a pitcher to knock him down. I’d tell him we might come inside because he doesn’t like the ball in there, but that was it. I always talked to players at the plate. He’d get tired of me asking about his family and say to the umpire, ‘Tell him my family’s fine and to shut up.' " — Yogi Berra
Played For
Cleveland Indians (1947-1955)
Chicago White Sox (1956-1957)
Cleveland Indians (1958)
Detroit Tigers (1959)
Chicago White Sox (1959)
Managed
Chicago White Sox (1978)
All-Time Rankings
Larry Doby ranks #10 among the Top 50 all-time at CF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1950
It's difficult to choose between these two seasons. Doby led the AL in OBP (.442) and OPS in 1950, batting a career-high .326 with a career-high .545 SLG mark and 110 runs scored. In '54 he helped lead the Tribe to 111 season victories and the World Series, leading the loop in both homers (32), and RBI (126). Doby finished second to Yogi Berra in MVP voting in '54, and a distant eighth in 1950 to Yankee Phil Rizzuto. It paid to be white and a Yankee in the 1950's if you wanted to win an MVP trophy.
Factoids
Larry Doby was the first black player to play for a World Series champion in the major leagues.
Where He Played
Like Jackie Robinson and many other Negro league stars, Doby was asked to change positions in the major leagues. He was a middle infielder, but since the Indians had Lou Boudreau and Joe Gordon, Doby became an outfielder. When Doby reported to the Indians, four of his new teammates refused to shake his hand. Ironically, one of the friendliest players was Gordon, who played the same position as Doby. Initially, Cleveland tried Doby at first base, but as teammate Bob Feller explained, Doby could play the position "no better than my sister." Doby eventually became an All-Star center fielder.
As a Manager
Doby was the second black manager in Major League history, following Frank Robinson.
Born
Lawrence Eugene Doby was born on December 13, 1923, in Camden, SC.
Died
June 18, 2003, Montclair, NJ
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: CLE
Major League Debut
July 5, 1947 ... Doby debuted about three months after Jackie Robinson re-integrated the major leagues. When Doby reported to the Indians, he was greeted warmly by many of his new teammates, but a few,including first baseman Eddie Robinson, refused to shake his hand.
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1947
Nellie Fox
Duke Snider
Larry Doby
Jackie Robinson
Curt Simmons
Mel Parnell
Vic Wertz
Ted Kluszewski
Ferris Fain
Uniform Numbers
#14 (1947-1958), #37 (1949), #6 (1953), #25 (1959 Tigers), #32 (1959 White Sox)
Similar Players
Kirk Gibson, David Justice
Related Players
Jackie Robinson, Monte Irvin, Frank Robinson... Billy Goodman and Mickey Vernon were two of Doby's best friends in the major leagues. Doby also enjoyed a long friendship with Yogi Berra... Doby was a roommate of Satchel Paige.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1966 |
BBWAA |
7 |
2.3% |
1967 |
BBWAA |
10 |
3.4% |
1967 |
Run Off |
1 |
.3% |
1998 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1948 World Series
1954 World Series
Post-Season Notes
A famous photo from the 1948 World Series shows Doby and winning pitcher Steve Gromek in an embrace after Game Four. It caused a minor stir at the time, since Gromek, a white man, was cheek-to-cheek with his black teammate. Bob Feller is quoted as saying "whoever took that photo should have won the Pulitzer Prize."
Milestones
Doby was a major league caliber player at the age of 20, and had he been able to play in the big leagues at that age, he probably could have reached the 400-homer mark.
Batting Feats
- August 2, 1950: 3 HR...
- June 4, 1952: Cycle...
Hitting Streaks
21 games (1951)
Transactions
October 25, 1955: Traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Chicago White Sox for Jim Busby and Chico Carrasquel; December 3, 1957: Traded by the Chicago White Sox with Jack Harshman, Russ Heman, and Jim Marshall to the Baltimore Orioles for Tito Francona, Ray Moore, and Billy Goodman; April 1, 1958: Traded by the Baltimore Orioles with Don Ferrarese to the Cleveland Indians for Gene Woodling, Dick Williams, and Bud Daley; March 21, 1959: Traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Detroit Tigers for Tito Francona; May 13, 1959: Purchased by the Chicago White Sox from the Detroit Tigers.
All-Star Selections
1949 AL
1950 AL
1951 AL
1952 AL
1953 AL
1954 AL
1955 AL
Replaced
Catfish Metkovich, as the Indian center fielder.
Replaced By
Cleveland acquired Jimmy Piersall after the 1958 season, and he replaced Doby in center field the following year.
Best Strength as a Player
Combination of power and speed.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Doby was not a good base stealer.
Learn More about Larry Doby
Search Amazon.com for Books about Larry Doby ⇒
Search for Larry Doby at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
