It’s time MLB celebrates Larry Doby Day, too

In other ways, Robinson and Doby’s narratives diverged. Upon signing Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers sent him to the minor leagues in 1946 to ease his transition. Doby, in contrast, journeyed literally overnight from the Negro Leagues to the majors, suiting up for the Newark Eagles one day, the Cleveland Indians the next. Unlike Robinson, who’d spurred the Dodgers to within one game of a World Series championship in 1947, Doby was relegated to pinch-hitting duties, which rendered him unable to settle into a groove.