Negro League Baseball Dot Com

Negro League Baseball Dot Com - The Online Home of Negro League Baseball History

The Negro League's Best Of The Best
Only 27 Negro League players had the honor of being elected to an East-West All-Star Game squad 5 or more times during the heyday of this annual classic. Who were they? More...

Negro League History 101
Need an introduction to the Negro Baseball Leagues? For those who are just discovering the story of the Negro League baseball we have prepared a primer on this fascinating part of American sports and cultural history. More...

Negro League Baseball Shop

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Question: Who was the first African-American player to play with a major league team?

Answer:

Most people believe that Jackie Robinson was the first player to appear on the roster of a major league team. While Robinson was the player who broke the major leagues' color barrier in 1947, a few African-American players had played on major league teams during the late 1800's before black players were banned from participation.

Moses Fleetwood Walker became the first Negro major-leaguer in 1884 as a catcher with the Toledo club in the American Association, one of the two major leagues at that time. Later that year his younger brother, Weldy Walker, also played briefly with the Toledo club.