Quintin Berry, reserve outfielder of the Boston Red Sox, is the only black player in the 2013 World Series. Adron Chambers of the St. Louis Cardinals would’ve been an addtional black player, but was left off the roster to create a spot for the team’s RBI leader.
Since 1984, the percentage of black baseball players competing in major league baseball has declined since 1975, from about 27% to 8%. Films like “42” featuring the life of baseball great Jackie Robinson has made the decline in black players more visual.
When the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox matched in 1967, the rosters included eight African American players: Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, George Scott, Reggie Smith, Curt Flood, Bobby Tolan, Joe Foy and Elston Howard.
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig hopes that the current percentage of black players will increase with programs like the “RBI” program which stands for Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities.
(Photo: AP)
Little Known Black History Fact: Quintin Berry & the 2013 World Series
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