Frank Robinson in the aftermath of unleashing a mighty swing. Getty Images
At the 1972 World Series, Jackie Robinson voiced his wish for a black manager in Major League Baseball (MLB), which had never occurred at the time. Several seasons later, another man with the last name Robinson (of no familial relation) made his dream a reality! April 8, 2025 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of Frank Robinson breaking the MLB’s managerial color barrier. Robinson, enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame for his skill as a player, was a legendary slugger who never quite received his due recognition, partly because he didn’t spend his prime playing in a big market such as New York or Los Angeles. Robinson should be a household name for baseball fans, as well as those interested in American history.
The youngest of ten children, Robinson broke into the major leagues in 1956 as a twenty-year-old rookie. In his first season, he tied Wally Berger’s rookie-record of thirty-eight home runs and unanimously captured the National League Rookie of The Year Award for the Cincinnati Reds. Robinson became a superstar for Cincinnati, and although he didn’t win a title in his time with the club, he led them to a pennant in 1961, when he captured his first MVP award, batting .323 with 37 home runs and 124 RBI. Following the 1965 season, Frank was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in a shocking move. Justifying the trade, the Reds’ general manager said the star slugger was “not a young thirty.”
Robinson proved his old general manager wrong, leading Baltimore to their first-ever World Series title, while capturing the American League batting triple crown and winning the World Series MVP award. In his legendary 1966 campaign, Robinson batted .316 with a career-high 49 homers and 122 RBI, winning his second MVP award. Robinson would win a second title with the Orioles in 1970, and after bouncing around several teams, he was a member of Cleveland by the end of the 1974 season. Known for his baseball expertise and all-or-nothing attitude, Robinson was named player-manager of the club after the 1974 season, which in turn set him up to break MLB’s managerial color barrier. The Opening Day of the 1975 season was Robinson’s first game as player-manager for Cleveland, and he penciled himself into the lineup as a designated hitter against the Yankees. In his first at-bat of the game, Robinson hit a home run that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Although largely unknown to most baseball fans, it was a legendary moment for the game.
Although Frank Robinson never won a title as a manager, he had a successful career in the dugout, integrating the National League’s managerial ranks in 1981. Robinson had various roles in MLB as an executive up to his retirement, and in 2005 he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. At the time of his retirement, his 586 home runs trailed only Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays in MLB’s long history. Robinson still has the tenth most home runs of all-time today, and until Shohei Ohtani accomplished the feat in 2024, Robinson was the only player to win MVP awards in both the American League and National League. A competitor above all else, he famously proclaimed, “Close don’t count in baseball.”
By all accounts, Frank Robinson was one of the best hitters in baseball history. So why is he extremely underappreciated? Several reasons account for this. For starters, he spent his prime in small markets (Cincinnati and Baltimore). Additionally, Robinson never broke a popular hitting record such as career home runs, which is the main reason Hank Aaron is well-known today. Out of all athletes without a biopic, Robinson is perhaps the most deserving. Frank Robinson was a baseball titan who broke records and barriers on and off the field, remaining dignified all the while. He was, and still is to this day, a vastly underrated and understated figure in the history of America’s pastime.
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