Before the first batter toes the dirt in Houston for Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night, Major League Baseball will have recorded an ignominious bit of history: for the first time since 1950, there likely won't be a single American-born Black player on either roster.
For Philadelphia especially, it's a stark change from the last time the Phillies were in the World Series in 2008, when they won with two Black, MVP-winning infielders in Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard.
Fifty-two players for the Astros and Phillies. Not a single one of African American heritage.