Larry Doby: The Forgotten Pioneer

Enlistment and Training at Camp Robert Smalls

Larry Doby was drafted into the U.S. Navy at the end of the 1943 baseball season after completing his basketball season at Virginia Union University. He had transferred from Long Island University partly to join their ROTC program hoping to avoid the draft, but was drafted nonetheless. His service lasted approximately 2+ years until January 1946.

Doby's primary training occurred at Camp Robert Smalls, the segregated African American division of the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois. The camp was named after Robert Smalls, a Civil War hero and former slave from South Carolina"”notably, Doby's home state.

Doby held the rating of Seaman and was assigned as a Physical Education Instructor due to his outstanding physical conditioning as a multi-sport athlete. While at Great Lakes, he played on the segregated Negro baseball team, maintaining a .342 batting average against teams of white players, some featuring major leaguers.

Pacific Theater Service at Ulithi Atoll

After stateside assignments at Camp Roberts (California), Treasure Island (San Francisco Bay), Ogden (Utah), and San Diego, Doby was transferred to the Pacific Theater in 1945. He was stationed at Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands, which at its peak was the largest naval base in the world, capable of holding over 700 vessels in its lagoon.

Growing up in a segregated society, you couldn't have thought that that was the way it was gonna be. There was no bright spot as far as looking at baseball until Mr. Robinson got the opportunity to play in Montreal in '46.

"” Larry Doby, on hearing the Robinson signing via Armed Forces Radio at Ulithi, October 1945 UK Oral History

At Ulithi, Doby formed a lifelong friendship with Mickey Vernon, the Washington Senators star. Vernon was so impressed that he wrote to Senators owner Clark Griffith urging him to sign Doby if MLB ever integrated. Most significantly, when Doby heard on Armed Forces Radio that the Brooklyn Dodgers had signed Jackie Robinson, Vernon told him: "There's your opportunity."

Discharge and Recognition

Doby received an Honorable Discharge in January 1946. His military service was later recognized with:

• Bob Feller Act of Valor Award (2013) "” honoring him as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members who served in the Navy during WWII
• Congressional Gold Medal (December 17, 2018, presented December 13, 2023) "” "in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American Major Leagues athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II."

Discrimination in the Segregated Navy

This was the first time that segregation really stung me. I wasn't expecting it in the military. I had no idea. It hurt a lot.

"” Larry Doby SABR

This experience shaped his approach to later challenges. The contrast in military ranks"”Robinson served as an Army Second Lieutenant (officer) while Doby was an enlisted Seaman"”reflected broader differences in their paths to breaking baseball's color barrier.

The 72-Hour Timeline

The timeline of Doby's integration was shockingly compressed:

The game drew 18,062 fans"”the biggest Saturday crowd for the White Sox that year. In the seventh inning, Doby pinch-hit for pitcher Bryan Stephens. The announcer intoned: "ATTENTION, PLEASE"¦ D-O-B-Y now batting for S-T-E-P-H-E-N-S." The crowd erupted in "thunderous applause." Doby faced reliever Earl Harrist and struck out in five pitches. The Indians lost 6-5.

The Pregame: Four Refused Handshakes

I walked down that line, stuck out my hand, and very few hands came back in return. Most of the ones that did were cold-fish handshakes, along with a look that said, 'You don't belong here.'

"” Larry Doby

When manager Lou Boudreau introduced Doby to teammates one-by-one, four teammates refused to shake his hand; two of those turned their backs entirely. Boudreau told him simply: "Shrug it off."

Then came what Doby called minutes that "felt like an eternity—”he went to the field to warm up and no teammate would play catch with him. He stood alone in front of the dugout until Joe Gordon, the team's second baseman, finally approached:

Doby later said: "I will never forget that man." Bill Veeck got rid of the hostile players before the next season.

Bill Veeck's Approach vs. Branch Rickey's

Veeck's integration strategy differed dramatically from Branch Rickey's careful 18-month preparation of Robinson:

I'm not going to sign a Negro player and then send him to a farm club. I'm going to get one I think can play with Cleveland.

"” Bill Veeck

Both men gave identical instructions. Veeck told Doby: "No arguing with umpires, don't even turn around at a bad call at the plate, and no dissertations with opposing players"”either of those might start a race riot." He warned Doby this was "the price I'd have to pay for being a part of baseball history."

Career Statistics

League-Leading Seasons

• Home Runs: 1952 (32), 1954 (32)
• RBI: 1954 (126)
• MVP Voting: Second place, 1954 (behind Yogi Berra)
• World Series Champion: 1948 Cleveland Indians

Historic Firsts

1. First Black player in the American League
2. First player to go directly from Negro Leagues to the majors
3. First African American to hit a World Series home run (October 9, 1948, Game 4)
4. First African American to win a World Series championship (with Satchel Paige, 1948)
5. First African American to hit an All-Star Game home run (1954)
6. First African American to lead a major league in home runs (1952)
7. Second African American to manage in MLB (Chicago White Sox, 1978)

Military Service Comparison

Both pioneers served in World War II, but their experiences differed significantly:

The contrast shaped their later styles: Robinson's court-martial made him a fighter who knew how to challenge injustice through proper channels; Doby's quieter naval service reinforced his more subdued approach.

Personal Relationship

Jackie and I talked often. Maybe we kept each other from giving up.

"” Larry Doby

Throughout the 1947 season, the two spoke frequently by telephone, encouraging each other. Their strategic agreement was explicit: "Jackie and I agreed we shouldn't challenge anybody or cause trouble"”or we'd both be out of the big leagues, just like that."

Key moments together:

• 1949 All-Star Game "” First All-Star Game with African American players (Robinson, Doby, Campanella, Newcombe)
• October 1972 "” Nine days before Robinson's death, appeared together at Riverfront Stadium ceremony honoring 25th anniversary of integration
• October 24, 1972 "” Larry Doby served as a pallbearer at Robinson's funeral, Riverside Church, Manhattan

Why Doby Is Less Remembered

That's one of the stupidest questions that's ever been asked. Think about it. We're talking about 11 weeks"”1947. Now it's 50 years later and you still have hidden racism. How could you change that in 11 weeks?

"” Larry Doby, when asked if Robinson made things easier

Specific Documented Incidents

Jim Crow Realities Throughout His Career

• Forced to stay at separate hotels in many cities throughout his career
• In Washington and St. Louis, forbidden to use the dressing rooms"”had to put on his uniform in all-Black boarding houses
• Sometimes entered stadiums through back doors while wearing his Cleveland Indians uniform
• Received hate mail and death threats against himself and his family"”Bill Veeck hired plainclothes police officers to accompany him on his debut

You know why I hit so well in Washington and St. Louis? They were major Jim Crow seating parks and when I came to bat, I knew where the noise was coming from and who was making it. I felt like a quarterback with 5,000 cheerleaders calling his name.

"” Larry Doby

His Response: "I Fought Back by Hitting"

I had to take it, but I fought back by hitting the ball as far as I could. That was my answer.

"” Larry Doby

His friend Jerry Izenberg revealed the psychological toll: "Larry was the most bitter athlete I have ever known until after we had that talk. He told me everything that night"”all of the terrible things that happened to him because of baseball's hypocrisy. It was horrible."

Yet Doby publicly maintained perspective: "I was never bitter because I believed in the man upstairs. I continue to do my best. I let someone else be bitter. If I was bitter, I was only hurting me."

The Art Ditmar Fight "” June 13, 1957

When Yankees pitcher Art Ditmar threw a high fastball that sent Doby diving, he charged the mound and knocked Ditmar down with a left hook"”becoming the first Black player to throw the first punch in a Major League brawl.

Never before in the 11 years since the bars were dropped... had a Negro thrown the first punch.

"” Shirley Povich, sportswriter

The October 9, 1948 World Series Game 4 at Cleveland Stadium drew 81,897 fans"”then a World Series record. Doby's 420-foot solo home run off Johnny Sain in the third inning provided the margin of victory in a 2-1 win. It was the first home run by an African American player in World Series history.

The Embrace

What happened afterward became "a signature moment in the integration of Major League Baseball." In the Cleveland clubhouse, pitcher Steve Gromek and Doby embraced cheek-to-cheek, both men grinning. A Cleveland Plain Dealer photographer captured the moment; the Associated Press transmitted it nationwide.

It seemed in the picture like I was kissing him. He put his arm around me and squeezed me so hard I thought he was going to break my ribs. We were both so happy.

"” Steve Gromek

The Consequences

The photograph had consequences. Gromek returned to Hamtramck, Michigan, where longtime friends refused to speak to him. One said: "Jesus, you could have just shook his hand."

On Being "Second" to Jackie

The only difference was that Jackie Robinson got all of the publicity. You didn't hear much about what I was going through because the media didn't want to repeat the same story.

"” Larry Doby

Jackie got all the publicity for putting up with racial abuse. But it was the same thing I had to deal with. He was first, but the crap I took was just as bad. Nobody said, 'We're gonna be nice to the second Black.'

"” Larry Doby

Quotes from Teammates, Managers, and Bill Veeck

Larry proved to them that he was a major leaguer in handling himself in more ways than one"”on the field and off the field.

"” Lou Boudreau, manager

Jackie was a college educated man who had been an officer in the service... I think, because of those circumstances, he had a more difficult time than Jackie Robinson.

"” Al Rosen, teammate

I moved slowly and carefully, perhaps even timidly.

"” Bill Veeck, owner

Notable Third-Party Assessments

Doby had to suffer the same indignities that Robinson did, and with nowhere near the media attention and implicit support.

"” Sports Illustrated, 1997

In glorifying those who are first, the second is often forgotten... Larry Doby integrated all those American League ball parks where Jackie Robinson never appeared. And he did it with class and clout.

"” New York Times editorial

Primary Oral History

Museum Collections

Key Biographies

Documentary Footage

Photographs and Visual Materials

Family Contact

Complete Timeline

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