Larry Doby was a pioneering African American baseball player, best known for breaking the color barrier in the American League.
Larry Doby faced significant racism throughout his career, both on and off the field, as he broke the color barrier in the American League just a few months after Jackie Robinson did so in the National League. Here are some notable aspects of the racism he encountered.
Teammates’ Reactions: When Doby joined the Cleveland Indians, many of his teammates were initially hostile or indifferent. Some refused to shake his hand or even speak to him.
Isolation: He often had to stay in different hotels and eat in separate restaurants from his white teammates due to segregation laws and customs.
Hostile Crowds: Doby faced jeering, racial slurs, and threats from opposing fans in every stadium he played in.
Pitchers Targeting Him: Like Jackie Robinson, Doby was often targeted by pitchers who would throw at him more frequently than white players.
Base Running: Opponents would try to spike him during plays, a common tactic used to intimidate African American players at the time.
Media Treatment: The media often ignored or minimized his achievements compared to his white counterparts. He received less coverage and fewer endorsements.
Social Challenges: Doby and his family faced social isolation and threats in their daily lives, impacting their sense of safety and well-being.
Over time, Doby became an advocate for civil rights, using his platform to speak out against racial injustice. His experiences highlighted the broader issues of racism in America, contributing to the civil rights movement.
Doby’s legacy as a trailblazer in the American League is remembered as a crucial step toward integrating professional sports and promoting equality in society.
It’s been said that Jerry Izenberg, the legendary sports columnist, has always been on the right side of history. It certainly seems true with his new book, about baseball Hall of Famer Larry Doby and the role Doby accepted to begin the integration of the American League. On July 5, 1947, Doby played for Cleveland a few short weeks after Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier as a member of the National League’s Brooklyn Dodgers. It is for this and his lifetime of achievements, in baseball, American history, and culture, that in December 2023, Doby was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award that is given in the United States. Now, in the 70th anniversary year of Doby leading his Cleveland team to an American League record 111 victories (in a 154-game season) and their second World Series in a six-year span (breaking the Yankees five-year stranglehold on the American League pennant), comes Izenberg’s new book, his 15th, Larry Doby in Black And  White: The Story of a Baseball Pioneer (Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.). It is available at most major retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
The nonagenarian author, in the 74th year of his hall of fame newspaper career, looks back on Doby’s life and baseball career through in-depth research, numerous one-on-one interviews, personal accounts, and his close friendship with Doby that lasted more than three decades, ending with Izenberg giving a moving and heartfelt eulogy at Doby’s funeral.
Doby and Robinson faced similar obstacles during that 1947 season and neither thought of quitting. However, their circumstances couldn’t have been more different, not only because they played in different leagues and had different preparation for their respective entries into Major League Baseball, but the welcome they received from respective teams. Team executives Branch Rickey of the Dodgers and Bill Veeck of the Indians were polar opposites in terms of the level of respect they showed to the Negro Leagues team owners (or lack of respect in Rickey’s case) when negotiating the purchases of their player contracts. While Robinson was the first to break baseball’s color barrier, Doby played second fiddle to no one. A nine-time All-Star, a World Series champion in his second season (he and teammate Satchel Paige were the first Black players to win a World Series ring), a home run and batting champion, and an outstanding fielder, Doby led his Cleveland team to the only two American League pennants not won by the Yankees during the 1948-1954 span.
“I wrote this book for four reasons,” Izenberg said.  “First, I didn’t want the story of Larry’s lonely battle to be allowed to slip through the cracks, where it could head toward oblivion. Second, I still miss Larry. Third, our mutual friend, the late Monte Irvin, Larry’s infield teammate on the Newark Eagles and in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, convinced me I needed to do it. And fourth, in 2020, Doby’s son, Larry Jr., told me ‘My dad had a hard life. I know that he didn’t trust many people, but he trusted you. If you are going to write a book, I’ll give you any help I can. Just ask.’ Why did I wait so long? Maybe I needed to gather the courage to finally say goodbye.”
Now living in Henderson, Nevada, with his wife Aileen, Izenberg, 93, is still producing topical sports columns and social commentary on a regular basis as columnist emeritus at the New Jersey Star-Ledger and NJ.com.
