Integrating the Tigers

In a city that is now 82% African-American, it's hard to believe that the Detroit Tigers were the one of the last Major League Baseball teams to integrate.

So, your answer to a trivia question today: Ozzie Virgil

Virgil was the man who broke the Tigers color barrier. The year was 1958, 11 long years after Jackie Robinson debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Until recently, I assumed Virgil was a black ballplayer -- not so. He was actually the first Dominican player in MLB, breaking in with the New York Giants in 1956. He joined the Tigers in '58 and promptly went 5 for 5 in his first game.

Now, the second piece of trivia for today. The first African-American player to put on a Tigers uniform was Larry Doby. Yes, the same Larry Doby that was the first black player in the American League. Doby joined the Cleveland Indians a mere 11 weeks after Jackie, was a seven-time All Star and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, Doby only played 18 games with the Tigers in 1959, batting .218.

Thanks to Terry Foster's new book for bringing this information to light.