This past weekend, on Saturday, July 5th, the Cleveland Guardians celebrated Larry Doby Day. I was in attendance, and while I was thrilled to see the amount of support for such a historic baseball figure here in Cleveland, it made me think more deeply. Cleveland fans for years have asked why Doby does not get celebrated in similar ways to the likes of Jackie Robinson. Today, I plan on diving into this question and ultimately explaining the importance of Larry Doby to the game of baseball to celebrate the legend as the Guardians did this past weekend.

Larry Doby, for those who do not know, was an African American outfielder for the then-Cleveland Indians in the 1940s and 1950s. Doby was a 7-time all-star, as well as a 1948 World Series champion for Cleveland. Doby, at the time, was also the home run leader in terms of the Cleveland baseball franchise, having 5 seasons with 20+ home runs. Doby even led the league with 32 home runs and 126 RBIs in 1954. Doby was also the first African American player to hit a home run in the World Series, doing so in game 4 of the 1948 series.

Aside from success on the field, Doby was the second player to join the MLB and break the color barrier, but what you may not know is that he was the first player to break the barrier in the American League. This is the main argument as to why many Guardians fans feel as though Doby should be highly represented across the league, not just by the Cleveland baseball organization. Doby’s addition to the American League only helped to break down the color barrier further, as it at the time made it seem more possible for African American players to join both leagues, not just the National League in which Jackie Robinson played.

Larry Doby’s impact does not only come as a player, however. Doby following his playing career dove into a career of coaching, where he had stops for the Montreal Expos in 1969-1972 before returning to his former team, the Cleveland Indians, in 1974. The most important stop for Doby, the coach, however, is his stop with the Chicago White Sox, where he became the second-ever African American manager in MLB history. Doby’s impact has been recognized by multiple awards, such as the National Medal of Honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, and, of course, being inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1998.

Make no mistake, Doby’s impact has been rewarded, but when it comes to the little things, such as letting the players at least on the Guardians wear his number 14 on his day, we have yet to see it. Honoring such an important individual, not just in American League history, but in American history as well, should have no end. I say this not to compare and contrast the legacies of the many famous MLB players who broke the color barrier, as they are all important in their ways, but to advocate for a Cleveland legend. A legend whose story should always continue to be told.