The Sport
The Negro Leagues played baseball a little differently than MLB. Before Jackie came into the Major Leagues, base runners did not typically steal a base. (This means to run to the next base before the ball has reached the batter.) In MLB, that was legal, but players did not really pay attention to that rule. Instead they would wait for a hit. Not Jackie. Jackie was good at baseball in every way, but especially in his base running. He would run to the next base with lightning speed, and the pitchers didn't even notice. Sometimes they would see him and try to throw him out, but Jackie was rarely caught. |
In this play, (left) Jackie tried to steal home, but is caught in a pickle between third base and home plate. This means there are players on either side of him, trying to tag him with the ball to get him out. Here, it is Jackie versus about 6 other players. He outsmarted and outran them all, bringing in another run for his team.
Carl Erskine, a former teammate of Jackie's said, "Jackie brought speed back to the baseball diamond. He brought intensity and honesty in play. Fans came to the ballpark to see Jackie as much as they came to see the ball game. He was exciting to watch, because you never knew if that particular day he'd steal home as he so often did. The art of baserunning and stealing bases had previously been lost to the power-hungry public."
When Carl says "power-hungry", he is referring to hitting. Before, the main way to drive in runs was to hit home-runs. Now, because of Jackie's style, stealing bases is more popular.
Click here to move to "Decline of the Negro Leagues"
Carl Erskine, a former teammate of Jackie's said, "Jackie brought speed back to the baseball diamond. He brought intensity and honesty in play. Fans came to the ballpark to see Jackie as much as they came to see the ball game. He was exciting to watch, because you never knew if that particular day he'd steal home as he so often did. The art of baserunning and stealing bases had previously been lost to the power-hungry public."
When Carl says "power-hungry", he is referring to hitting. Before, the main way to drive in runs was to hit home-runs. Now, because of Jackie's style, stealing bases is more popular.
Click here to move to "Decline of the Negro Leagues"
Jackie Robinson steals home.