There’s an important name that, sadly, most Atlanta Braves fans probably don’t recognize. On opening day in 1950, a center fielder became the first black player on baseball’s oldest continuously-operating franchise. Sam Jethroe broke the color barrier for the Braves and the city of Boston’s baseball history.
It would be over nine years before the Red Sox would field an African-American on their roster as the last major league team to integrate. That was seven seasons after the Braves had already left for Milwaukee.
Like Jackie Robinson before him, Sam Jethroe wasn’t just satisfied with being the first.