Philadelphia Phillies Finally Integrate in 1957

Jackie Robinson had broken the color barrier a decade earlier, but there were still a few teams that had yet to integrate. On this day in 1957, the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the last holdouts, finally integrated.

After Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and had immediate success, quite a few teams also integrated. The Cleveland Indians brought in Larry Doby to be the first American League team to integrate, and the St. Louis Browns quickly followed suit, bringing in Hank Thompson and Willard Brown to help their teams. Within a few short years, integrated teams were the norm.

Yet, there were a few teams that refused to integrate. Those teams began being left behind, as the influx of talent on those other squads soon became evident. Slowly but surely, those other teams integrated, with the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the final holdouts and the final National League team to integrate, joining that group on this day in 1957.

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That moment came in the eighth inning. John Kennedy, the first African-American to suit up for the Phillies, entered the game to pinch run for Solly Hemus. That would prove to be one of the five games that Kennedy entered, as he had two at bats, striking out and reaching on an error, in his career. He did score a run, but he also struggled in the field, making an error in one of the two chances he handled at short. Of course, he only had four innings in the field, so that sample size may not have been any indication of his abilities.

Those five games did not mark the end of Kennedy’s time in the Phillies system. He spent the majority of his time that year with the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms, before spending another three seasons in the minors. He did not hit much, posting a .248 batting average in the minors, but he did have a bit of pop, hitting 39 home runs, including 19 in 1957. He was also a versatile defender in the minors, playing all around the infield and in the outfield.

Next: Dodgers highlight early minor league stories

John Kennedy may not have had the best career, but he still made his mark on the history of the game. He certainly made his mark on the Philadelphia Phillies, becoming their the first African-American player to take the field.