On May 13, 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese stood in solidarity with Jackie Robinson after racial slurs were hurled at him during infield practice before the team’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field.
Reese, a Kentucky native and the captain of the Dodgers, stunned the crowd when he approached Robinson and put his arm around his shoulder as a show of support. “(Opposing players) were abusing Reese very viciously because he was playing on the team with me,” Robinson said at the time.
“They were calling him some very vile names and every one bounced off Pee Wee and hit me like a machine-gun bullet. Pee Wee kind of sensed the sort of hopeless, dead feeling in me and came over and stood beside me for a while.
“He didn’t say a word but he looked over at the chaps who were yelling at me and just stared. He was standing by me, I can tell you that. Slowly the jibes died down and then there was nothing but quiet from them.
“It was wonderful the way this little guy did it. I will never forget it.”
The Dodgers would fall, 7-5, to the Reds that day. Robinson went 1-for-4 with a walk, RBI and run scored.
The 1947 season was Robinson’s first with the Dodgers, and he would go on to win Rookie of the Year honors. He hit .297/.383/.427 with 31 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs, 48 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 151 games.
Robinson spent his entire MLB career with the Dodgers, earning six All-Star selections, winning the 1949 batting title and being part of the 1955 World Series championship team.
Jackie Robinson retires after trade to Giants
After the 1956 season, the Dodgers traded Robinson to the New York Giants. However, Robinson elected to retire instead of continuing his career with the Dodgers’ biggest rival.
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