There will be no United States-born Black players in the World Series this year for the first time since 1950, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.
That fact deeply disturbs Dusty Baker, 73, one of two Black Major League managers.
“What hurts is that I don’t know how much hope that it gives some of the young African-American kids,” Baker said. “Because when I was their age, I had a bunch of guys, [Willie] Mays, [Hank] Aaron, Frank Robinson, Tommy Davis — my hero — Maury Wills, all these guys. We need to do something before we lose them.”
The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies will announce their 26-man rosters several hours before Game 1 on Friday night at Minute Maid Park, and neither is expected to have a U.S.-born Black player.
“I don’t think that that’s something that baseball should really be proud of,” said Baker, who won a World Series as an outfielder with the Dodgers in 1981 and is seeking his first championship as a manager. “It looks bad. It lets people know that it didn’t take a year or even a decade to get to this point.”
