Often lost in the halcyon history of the St. Louis Browns is the fact that the club was on the cutting edge of integrating baseball.
That will be the subject of a presentation by Browns expert Ed Wheatley later this week at the Maplewood Public Library.
Wheatley is president of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society, and a co-author of the book "The St. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team."
On July 20, 1947 — two weeks after Larry Doby of Cleveland became the second black player, after Jackie Robinson in 1946, to play in the major leagues — the Browns became the first team in history to field two black players in the same game.