May 4, 1944, 80 years ago: The St. Louis Browns baseball team has its finest hour. And it has nothing to do with their winning their only Pennant that season.
The St. Louis Browns, playing in a racially segregated city, announce that they are dropping their policy restricting black fans to the bleachers at Sportsman's Park, which they own. The St. Louis Cardinals, tenants despite their great success since 1926 and the Browns' long failure, have no choice but to comply.
In their game that day, the Browns beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-0. Nelson "Nels" Potter pitched a 5-hit shutout. George McQuinn drove in a run with a looper in the 3rd inning, and another with a double in the 5th.
This season, the Browns go on to win their 1st Pennant. It is poetic justice. But the Browns do not desegregate their playing roster. And the Cardinals, who also don't, defeat them in the only All-St. Louis World Series ever. Only partial poetic justice.
On July 17, 1947, 3 months after Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers broke the color barrier, and 12 days after Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians did so in the American League, the Browns became the 3rd team to add a black player, Kansas City Monarchs 3rd baseman Hank Thompson. Two days later, they added Monarchs outfielder Willard Brown. On July 8, 1949, Thompson and Monte Irvin each made their debut with the New York Giants, becoming that team's 1st black players.
Hank Thompson (left) and Willard Brown
The Cardinals did not field a black player until April 13, 1954, 1st baseman Tom Alston. By that point, the Browns had moved, becoming the Baltimore Orioles. The Cardinals now owned Sportsman's Park. Their refusal to integrate their roster allowed the Dodgers, and then other National League teams, to surpass them in talent, and in the NL standings.
Tom Alston
By 1964, they had integrated, with black players like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Curt Flood and Bill White, and won their 1st Pennant, and their 1st World Series, since 1946. Except for 1950, with the Philadelphia Phillies, every National League Pennant winner in between had been integrated.
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