luis padrón: integrating the sally league 47 years before hank aaron

David Skinner, reflecting on this article about Luis Padrón reprinted in La Lucha (April 20, 1906) from the Florida Times Union of Jacksonville, Florida, points out that we haven’t fully appreciated the significance of Padrón playing in Jacksonville, in the South Atlantic League.  David writes:

Of course, confirming that [Padrón] did play at Jacksonville merely begs the question of how? They had even seen his picture and were hot to hire him. How could the Florida Times Union not see what the Mansfield News did, that he was a black man?

When you think about it, Padrón’s whole career is one of historic proportions. A player with obvious African features (the moustache did soften those somewhat) and darker than white skin who starred as a pitcher and hitter in a number of minor leagues in the first two decades of the 20th century, had it seems at least a couple of Major League tryouts, and played pro ball as a black man on an Organized Baseball team in the deep South, in the Sally League of all places, supposedly segregated until Hank Aaron et al showed up in Jacksonville and Savannah in 1953 and were stoned and scorned, in 1906, when no blacks between the 1890s and the 1940s had openly appeared in OB and in a state where it was probably even illegal to do so, is totally astounding. In Key West, much more integrated than the mainland due to the Cuban influence, when Almendares played there in 1908, the day after Méndez pitched his no-hitter, local fans led by the mayor threw rocks at Joseito Muñoz apparently just for being black, or at least another black opposing pitcher. History books need to be re-written. Tygiel’s BASEBALL'S GREAT EXPERIMENT and Adelson’s BRUSHING BACK JIM CROW have it wrong. Luis Padrón integrated the South Atlantic League (and the South!!!!) with Jacksonville in 1906. This was no Jimmy Claxton brief attempt to pass. This deserves Jackie Robinson-type recognition.

Best,
David

Comments

[Brian McKenna]

I'm convinced there are quite a few men who integrated white baseball in the decades prior to Jackie Robinson that go unrecognized today - both in the minors and majors. For example, the following list of individuals played in both the Negro leagues (loosely defined) and the majors (debut in majors listed).

Fleet Walker 1884
Weldy Walker 1884
Rafael Almeida 1911
Armando Marsans 1911
Mike Gonzalez 1912
Jack Calvo 1913
Alfredo Cabrera 1913
Angel Aragon 1914
Dolf Luque 1914
Jose Rodriquez 1916
Ricardo Torres 1920
Jose Acosta 1920
Pedro Dibut 1924
Mike Herrera 1925
Oscar Estrada 1929
Chico Hernandez 1942
Izzy Leon 1945