He is Major League Baseball’s First African-American Manager
While still an active player for the Cleveland Indians, Robinson was named the team’s manager for the 1975 season. In his first game as manager, Robinson belted a home run after calling his own number as a pinch hitter. While mostly resigned to a limited role as a bench player and designated hitter, Robinson would navigate the Indians as the skipper for two-plus seasons—But not without strife.
His star pitcher and future Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry publicly lamented Robinson’s conditioning regimen by telling reporters “I’m nobody’s slave.” Robinson received death threats for his feud with catcher John Ellis.
After being fired in 1977, Robinson would go to manage the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals for the rest of his 16-year managerial career.
