A Simple Request
Major League Baseball did the legitimately honorable thing in 1997 in having every team retire Jackie Robinson’s #42. Robinson changed the face of baseball against enormous odds and astounding hate. He deserves to be honored for his contributions to the sport as a whole. However, a number of other players faced similar, though distinct, difficulties in integrating the specific teams that made up the rest of the league. They deserve immortalization as well. Though I would not ask that MLB as a whole retire these numbers, because of the truly unique contribution of Jackie Robinson, it seems more than appropriate for each individual teams to retire these players numbers in order to remember the horrors of segregation in the major league and the path-breaking bravery of these players who overcame it. The list of players is drawn from here, the retired numbers come from this list, and the uniform numbers are taken from the Baseball Almanac.
| Player | Team | Date | Number | Retired |
| Jackie Robinson | Brooklyn Dodgers | 4/15/1947 | 42 | Yes |
| Larry Doby | Cleveland Indians | 7/5/1947 | 14 | Yes |
| Hank Thompson | St. Louis Browns | 7/17/1947 | 7 | No |
| Monte Irvin | New York Giants | 7/8/1949 | 20 | No |
| Hank Thompson | New York Giants | 7/8/1949 | 16 | No |
| Sam Jethroe | Boston Braves | 4/18/1950 | 5 | No |
| Minnie Minoso | Chicago White Sox | 5/1/1951 | 9 | Yes |
| Bob Trice | Philadelphia Athletics | 9/13/1953 | 23 | No |
| Ernie Banks | Chicago Cubs | 9/17/1953 | 14 | Yes |
| Curt Roberts | Pittsburgh Pirates | 4/13/1954 | 7 | No |
| Tom Alston | St. Louis Cardinals | 4/13/1954 | 10 | No |
| Nino Escalera | Cincinnati Reds | 4/17/1954 | 21 | No |
| Chuck Harmon | Cincinnati Reds | 4/17/1954 | 10 | No |
| Carlos Paula | Washington Senators | 9/6/1954 | 23 | No |
| Elston Howard | New York Yankees | 4/14/1955 | 32 | Yes |
| John Kennedy | Philadelphia Phillies | 4/22/1957 | 8 | No |
| Ozzie Virgil, Sr. | Detroit Tigers | 6/6/1958 | 22 | No |
| Pumpsie Green | Boston Red Sox | 7/21/1959 | 12 | No |
The St. Louis Browns are now the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators are Minnesota Twins, and the Dodgers, Giants, Braves, and A’s have moved to thier current cities.
Explore posts in the same categories: Baseball, These Men Changed BaseballTags: Jackie Robinson, MLB, Negro Leagues, Retired Numbers
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11/22/2009 at 1:01 pm
I sort of agree with you, but let me point out that most of the guys whose numbers haven’t been retired were marginal player. For instance Alston at St. Louis played in 91 games and hit .244 without power, hardly Jackie Robinson numbers.
Having said that I have no idea why the Giants have slighted Monte Irvin or the Braves have ignored Sam Jethroe. (Come on, guys, retire these 2 numbers.)
Of course in a couple of cases, the Giants being one, you’d have to retire 2 numbers (Hank Thompson being the other). Speaking of Thompson do you retire him twice (see the Browns/Orioles)?
And now a dig at the Phllies, Tigers, and Red Sox. What took you so long, fellas? YUCK!
v
11/22/2009 at 1:54 pm
First, Irvin is the most egregious. He is a Hall of Famer, and not just because of his Negro League play. Jethroe is at least the equal of a number of players whose numbers have been retired.
As to the rest, they are a step down in terms of their major league play from the players whose numbers have been retired. In some ways, I think of them more like the Angels retiring #26 for Gene Autry. These players contributed incalcuably to the shape of the game of baseball. Retiring numbers seems like a way to remind the world of that simple fact.
Finally, Hank Thompson. He would make a fascinating movie. Integrated two teams, part of those dominant Monarchs teams in the 1940′s, machine gunner in the Battle of the Bulge. Interesting story.