The Secret History Of How Mexico Pushed Baseball Toward Racial Integration
*This wins Thursday’s prize for “must read” of the day: “There were more than 150 black U.S.players that came to Mexico from 1937 to 1946, looking for better salaries and social conditions. Fourteen of them are now Cooperstown Hall of Famers.” VL
By Cesar Gonzalez, Remezcla
From the late 30s through the 40s, for black American ballplayers, there was a real “Field of Dreams”. It was south of the border, in Mexico.
“I remember my time in Mexico fondly. It was one of the best years of my life,” says Monte Irvin who played in Mexico in 1942. [pullquote][tweet_dis]Satchel Paige, the greatest black American pitcher of the time, who in 1938 became the first African American to play in the Mexican League.[/tweet_dis][/pullquote] Irvin was one of the biggest young stars in the U.S. Negro Leagues, before he went south to play for the Azules de Veracruz in a state off the Gulf of Mexico. He wanted to return to Mexico for the 1943 season, but he got drafted to join the Army during World War II. When the color barrier broke down in the U.S. major leagues in 1947, Irvin was one of the talents who got the attention of the bigger clubs and made his debut with the New York Giants in 1949, where he became a star. For all his accomplishments with the Giants, Irvin is now a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
[pullquote]By 1940, there were 63 African-American players in Mexico – a Mexican ‘Field of Dreams.’[/pullquote]Monte IrvinMonte Irvin is the perfect example of the quality of black players that came to the Mexican League in those years. There were more than 150 black U.S.players that came to Mexico from 1937 to 1946, looking for better salaries and social conditions. Fourteen of them are now Cooperstown Hall of Famers, including the greatest pitcher of segregated baseball, Satchel Paige, and the greatest hitter, Josh Gibson.
“It was the first time in my life that I felt free,” adds Irvin. “We could go anywhere we wanted, eat anywhere we wanted, do anything we wanted and not have to worry about anything. We just had a wonderful time and I owe that experience to Jorge Pasquel.”
Click HERE to read the full story.
[Photo courtesy of Remezcla]
