For the last several years, it has been received knowledge that on May 8, 1973, Cubs legend Ernie Banks took over managing duties from ejected manager Whitey Lockman. In doing so, Banks became the first African-American to manage in a major league game.
The event was not much noticed at the time, according to Banks himself. At the time, no one paid much attention to who took over the lineup card after a manager was ejected. But years later, after Frank Robinson became the first “real” African-American manager in 1975 and after Dodgers executive Al Campanis made his infamous comments in 1987 on Nightline that African-American players “may not have some of the necessities” to be managers that people went back and remembered that night in San Diego in 1973 and declared Banks to be the first African-American to manage a major league baseball game.