Six decades before Jackie Robinson wore No. 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Fleet Walker faced racial taunts and threats as a major league catcher
"Fleet" Walker poses with Oberlin College's first varsity baseball team in 1881. Walker went on to become the first African American major leaguer. By Ronald G. Shafer April 14 at 8:00 AM On Monday, every player in Major League Baseball will wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 to honor the player who broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947. The country is also marking the centennial of Robinson’s birth on Jan. 31, 1919 throughout the year.
Before a June game against the original Washington Nationals, The Washington Post noted that Toledo’s catcher “is a colored man, and no doubt many will attend the game to see our ‘colored brother’ in a new role.” After Toledo won, The Post reported that Walker played in “fine style” catching star pitcher Tony Mullane.Like many of Walker’s white teammates, Mullane respected the barehanded catcher as a player but not as an equal.
In Fort Wayne, Ind., a local newspaper reported, a “priggish head waiter” at one restaurant refused to seat Walker, who was said to be well-paid. Walker, the paper said, “receives more money in a week than the big-headed waiter had in six months, and is far more advanced mentally of the white man.” The waiter was fired.
“We the undersigned do hereby warn you not to put up Walker, the negro catcher, the evenings you play in Richmond, as we could mention the names of 75 determined men who have sworn to mob Walker if he comes on the ground in a suit. We hope you will listen to our words of warning, so that there will be no trouble, but if you do not there certainly will be. We only write this to prevent much bloodshed, as you alone can prevent.” Walker did not play.
In July 1887, the National League’s Chicago White Stockings were scheduled to play an exhibition game against the Little Giants in Newark. But Chicago’s star player-manager Adrian “Cap” Anson, a known racist, refused to let his team play if Newark’s black players did. So Walker and Stovey were benched for the game.
Jackie Robinson takes infield practice for the Montreal Royals, a farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers, prior to joining the big club. Beneath Walker’s calm exterior lurked “a darker side that would be constantly goaded by racial tensions,” wrote David W. Zang in his book, “Fleet Walker’s Divided Heart.” In Toronto, Walker was caught with a loaded gun after threatening to shoot a taunting fan.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A dream trip for a US tourist became an abduction but ended with her rescue'It was supposed to be a dream safari here in Uganda' - robynkriel1 reports on Kimberly Sue Endicott, an American woman kidnapped at gunpoint in Africa. She has since been freed, and is in the custody of US officials.
Read more »
The 'Amazon of Africa' soars nearly 60% on its first day of tradingJumia Technologies has more than 1.2 billion customers in Africa.
Read more »
The 'Amazon of Africa' soars more than 75% on its first day of tradingJumia operates in 14 African countries and has 4 million active customers, the company says.
Read more »
U.S. blocks deal for Major League Baseball to sign Cuban playersThe Trump administration on Monday blocked a historic agreement between Major Le...
Read more »
U.S. nixes deal for Major League Baseball to sign Cuban playersThe Trump administration on Monday scrapped a historic agreement between Major L...
Read more »
Trump administration ending deal between Major League Baseball and CubaThe Trump administration is moving to end a deal that allows Cuban baseball players to sign contracts directly with Major League Baseball organizations.
Read more »
How to think about African-American EnglishMisplaced snobbery about the nature of AAE is not the only problem. The dialect’s differences also lead to dangerous confusion
Read more »