April 15, 1947 is one of the most important days in the history of baseball in the United States, as on that occasion, at Ebbets Field, the stadium of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball.
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"Integrated" is a euphemism to say that Robinson broke a barrier of racist exclusion and became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.
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Jackie immediately became an icon in the fight for civil rights for the African American population in the United States, to the point that today no one in Major League Baseball can use his number "42", except every April 15th when all players from all teams wear it.
The appearance of Robinson in the Major Leagues thanks to the management and vision of manager Branch Rickey is very well portrayed in the 2013 movie "42," with Chadwick Boseman playing the role of Jackie and Harrison Ford portraying Rickey.
Robinson also had a great sporting impact
Jackie Robinson was not a young player when he joined the Dodgers. He served his country in World War II and in 1945 signed with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. That's why when he arrived at the Brooklyn team, his impact was immediate and helped win the National League in 1947.
But in that season's World Series, the Dodgers fell 4-3 to the Yankees.
Unfortunately for Robinson, that scenario repeated itself in 1949, 1952, and 1953: National League champions defeated by the "Bronx Bombers" in the World Series with players like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Yogi Berra.
In 1955, they met again in the Fall Classic and everyone anticipated the Yankees' victory. "The New York Yankees, who almost never lose, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, who have never won, will continue their battle in the World Series for the fifth time," wrote a specialized journalist.
But that time things were about to change and it all began to take shape in Game 1 played at Yankee Stadium. In the eighth inning, the New York team was winning 6-4, there were two outs and Jackie Robinson was on third base. With left-handed pitcher Whitey Ford turning his back, "42" started running to steal home, in one of the riskiest plays in baseball, and he slid with his right foot against catcher Yogi Berra. "Safe" yelled the umpire, unleashing the uncontrollable fury of the colorful Yogi.
The controversy turned into a heated debate and discussion in the newspapers the following day in the United States, even though the Yankees still won the first game of the series 6-5.
Jackie Robinson died of a heart attack at the age of 53, but legend has it that every time Yogi Berra met his widow, Rachel Robinson, he would say "out" and she would reply "safe".
Even in 2010, after making a reference to the famous home robbery of Jackie Robinson in the 1955 World Series, President Barack Obama received a photo of the play with the words: "He was out, signed by Yogi Berra."
The first title for the Dodgers
Despite the defeat in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series, Jackie Robinson's home plate theft became an inspiration for his teammates, who won all three home games at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn and reached the decisive seventh game.
In Game 7, played at Yankee Stadium, two runs batted in by Gil Hodges (2-0 ended the game) allowed the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson to win the World Series for the first time in their history.
The following year, already complicated by diabetes, Robinson played his last professional season. His last appearance was a strikeout in Game 7 of the 1956 World Series, at Ebbets Field, in which the New York Yankees once again defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers.