Here’s a little baseball trivia for you on a spring Tuesday. Kirby Higbe was a starting pitcher in the majors in the 1940s. He was also an opponent of integration — which is why, when Jackie Robinson (the first black ballplayer in the modern era) was about to join the Brooklyn Dodgers, Higbe demanded a trade, and he got one. He ended up on the Pirates. But Higbe couldn’t avoid Robinson for very long. On July 15, 1948, Higbe pitched a game against Robinson and the Dodgers. Maybe coincidentally — but probably not — Higbe hit one batter that game: Jackie Robinson. And it turned out to be a costly move, in the context of the game; Robinson went on to advance to third base, then steal home plate, helping the Dodgers beat the Pirates, 7 to 6.
For Jackie Robinson, these kinds of cheap shots were common. He was often harassed on and off the field because of his skin color. That was the price of integrating sports in the 1940s, as the history books have taught us. It’s conventional wisdom at this point.
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