Moses Fleetwood Walker: The First Black Major League Baseball Player Who Broke Barriers Before Jackie Robinson

[00:00:00] On May 1st, 1884 was a moment that was honestly forgotten. But a major moment in sports history when Moses Fleetwood Walker stepped up to the plate becoming the first black professional baseball player suiting up with the Toledo Buckings over 50 years before Jackie Robinson. But why do we often forget about Moses? Well, he played for a team we didn't know and a century we don't care about.

[00:00:28] And unfortunately, he wasn't given the opportunities that Jackie Robinson was given to be great that changed baseball forever. But his moment still is a great moment and did help Jackie in the future. Join us as we dive into Moses Fleetwood Walker's journey to baseball immortality, although it has been forgotten through the years. Today on Daily Sports History.

[00:00:59] Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide as you daily learn more about sports history, increasing your sports knowledge as we dive into Moses Fleetwood Walker. So Moses was born before the Civil War in 1856 in Mount Pleasant, Ohio, a town that was known for a sanctuary for runaway slaves with a large Quaker and free African American community. And he was born to parents Moses W. Walker and Carolyn

[00:01:29] O'Hare who were both mixed race. And his father was a blacksmith who became the first Ohio black physician. And his mother was a midwife. And Walker would attend Steubenville High School in the early 1870s as the town pushed for racial integration at a time that seemed impossible just shortly after the Civil War.

[00:01:51] And in 1877 he enrolled in Oberlin College, their preparatory program in Oberlin College. But it was while he was a child that he actually learned to play the game of baseball from some local Civil War veterans. It seems so weird to be talking about something this far in the past and including sports into it. But this shortly after the Civil War is when sports started to actually blossom in America.

[00:02:15] Before this, there was some golf, some baseball, but it really started to blossom after the Civil War. And while he was at Oberlin, he joined their baseball team and became the team's catcher, leadoff hitter, and would gain local fame and helped lead them in 1881 to their very first undefeated season. And later he would transfer to the University of Michigan where he excelled in both academics and baseball and decided to pursue a professional baseball career after graduation.

[00:02:43] And he would sign with the Toledo Blue Stockings, who were part of the Northwestern League. Now I know you probably never heard of this league. And this was kind of the very first minor league system to be associated with the National League. And Walker excelled greatly with his renowned defensive skills as a catcher playing barehanded with only rudimentary protection. As before the 1900s, catcher protection was almost nothing.

[00:03:13] Yes, being a catcher back then, your hands were going to be messed up and you were going to have bruises after every single game. But Walker was able to play 60 of the 84 games that year, helping lead them to a championship run. But him joining this professional baseball league was not without controversy. Even though he was in the North, even though he was educated and had a lot of backing behind him, there were some teams that banned black players. There were some places they played that banned black players.

[00:03:42] Teams literally, like the Chicago White Stockings, would not play if Walker was on the team. But they were forced to play because they would have a financial loss if they forfeited the game. So sometimes money does outbid racism. In 1883, the Six of Toledo's team earned them a spot for the American Association in 1984, which officially made Walker the first black player in Major League Baseball.

[00:04:12] And later, his brother, Well Lee, would join the team midseason, making the first black siblings to play in the majors. Wait. Now, Walker faced a lot of opposition from not only teams, but fans as well. And even some teammates. There were pictures on his team that wouldn't follow the signs he was giving as a catcher, saying he wouldn't take orders from a black man. And on road trips, there was even worse abuse, especially the farther south they go, including a notorious incident in Richmond, Virginia, where a mob threatened violence if he played.

[00:04:41] And despite these challenges, he continued to play. And he earned a batting average of 263 that first season in 1984, but had a very strong performance defensively as a catcher. Playing in 42 games, he had 40 hits, 23 runs, 8 walks, and was hit by a pitch 6 times. He became known for his strong arm and quickness in his daring base running, excelling with his barehanded catching, which still baffles my mind to this day.

[00:05:10] But the Toledo blue stockings folded, so he had to find new teams. It made it increasingly harder because teams didn't want to put up with the racial tension that would come with hiring a black player. And though he was a skilled defender behind the plate, his hitting wasn't so good that it was worthwhile for them to have him. And Walker had a lot of injuries because he was a catcher, especially he had injuries to his hand and limited his time and effectiveness.

[00:05:37] So he struggled to find a job back at the majors. So he spent about five more years in the minor leagues, often as the only black player, before retiring in 1890. And around the late 1800s, there became an unwritten color line or color barrier that formed in baseball. That would not be crossed again until 1947 when Jackie Robinson did so. So his experience led a lot of black players to want to play the game of baseball, which led to the Negro League starting in the 1920s.

[00:06:07] But Walker wasn't done with his life. He actually became a successful entrepreneur running a hotel and managing an entertainment venue throughout his life that showed movies, plays and operas. And was also an inventor. And he earned four patents. Unfortunately, in 1924, he would contract pneumonia at the age of 67 and pass away in Cleveland, Ohio.

[00:06:29] And Ohio actually celebrates Moses Fleetwood Walker Day on October 7th every year for the historical significance he led. And we don't really know the color barrier would have been broken if he didn't do this earlier or if he did it or if it made it harder. It's hard to tell. So even after the Civil War, when slaves were free, there was a lot of challenges for African Americans.

[00:06:53] They were given the right to be free, but they weren't given the rights to live as every other American. It's a sad, it was a sad state of affair for America, but it was more about playing the game. 60 years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, as we say, it was actually broken by Moses Fleetwood Walker. Now we've talked about this before. Why isn't Moses remembered like Jackie?

[00:07:17] We've talked about this with the NBA, where Earl Lloyd was the first to break the color barrier in the NBA. But we don't often remember Earl Lloyd like we do Jackie Robinson. And it's the same kind with Moses as well. When a player is not excelled like Jackie Robinson, Jackie Robinson excelled in Major League Baseball. He was an MVP, an all-star. He had highlight moments. Moses was a good player, was a great defender, and he only played one season of technical Major League Baseball.

[00:07:47] So you kind of forget about what he did, even though it was a pioneering move. Just like Earl Lloyd, what he did for basketball was huge. But he was just kind of a meddling player. And so when you're not put up on a Hall of Fame level like Jackie was, that's why he's remembered so well. That's why he's put so high. That's why his numbers retired across the whole league, because he did something a little bit more. Nothing against Moses Fleetwood Walker.

[00:08:14] What he did was important and probably did lead to Jackie Robinson having his success and was an icon that Jackie looked up towards. But unfortunately, time is a factor in this. And it's why, unfortunately, we don't remember Moses, but we do remember Jackie. That doesn't mean we should forget about what Moses Fleetwood Walker did, being the first black Major Leaguer and being a true American pioneer.

[00:08:42] I want to thank you for listening to today's Daily Sports History. If you want more baseball history, check out the Rounders' A History of Baseball in America podcast, where they examine baseball's journey from playing on the outskirts of his pastime to being the cultural identity of America. A sport that isn't just a ball and sticks, but a snapshot of our nation and our world. We'll put a link in the description below for you to check them out.

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