Yakyu Night Owl@YakyuNightOwl@mastodon.world
Jimmy Claxton was the first Black person to play in the Pacific Coast League and the first in the 20th century. He was tossed out, but not before he crossed the color line in 1916.
Oakland doesn't have a MLB team anymore, but that doesn't mean the history is any less significant, or that it should be forgotten. The PCL was desegregated by Opening Day in 1952 and had a Black umpire in 1954.
MLB was desegregated in the middle of the 1959 season, and had a Black umpire in 1966. Trolley league.