Larry Doby first donned a Cleveland Indians jersey on July 5, 1947. Now, 68 years later, Doby will be honored with a statue outside of Gate C at Progressive Field. It’s not as if Doby hasn’t received any recognition before now – his number 14 was retired by the Indians in the late 1990s and they renamed the street behind the ballpark after him in 2012. But after the Indians announced a Jim Thome statue a few years ago, it seemed a glaring omission that he received one before Doby.
While I wish the statue dedication could have come July 5 (the Indians were out of town) there is a certain symmetry of doing it in a game against the White Sox. After he retired as a player, Doby eventually managed the White Sox; the second African American manager in baseball. I’m very pleased and excited that I’ll get to pass a statue of Doby every time I enter Progressive Field.
Indians | White Sox | ||
2B
|
Mike Aviles |
CF
|
Adam Eaton |
SS
|
Francisco Lindor |
3B
|
Tyler Saladino |
CF
|
Michael Brantley |
LF
|
Melky Cabrera |
LF
|
Ryan Raburn |
1B
|
Jose Abreu |
1B
|
Carlos Santana |
DH
|
Adam LaRoche |
C
|
Yan Gomes |
RF
|
Avisail Garcia |
RF
|
Brandon Moss |
SS
|
Alexei Ramirez |
DH
|
Jesus Aguilar |
C
|
Tyler Flowers |
3B
|
Giovanny Urshela |
2B
|
Carlos Sanchez |
SP
|
Carlos Carrasco |
SP
|
Chris Sale |