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Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Major League Baseball legend Larry Doby, a World War II veteran who was the first African American to play in the American League and hit a home run in a World Series, was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal on what would have been his 100th birthday. The Cleveland Indians Hall of Famer was honored Wednesday at a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., presented Larry Doby's son, Larry Doby Jr., with the medal.
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"The United States mint has struck a specific gold medal in his honor," Johnson said as he presented the medal bearing Doby's image.
"This story obviously started 100 years ago today in South Carolina," Doby Jr. said in a speech as he referenced his father's birth, before recounting his father's big move from the Negro leagues into the Major Leagues with the Cleveland Indians, as he became the first Black baseball player to play in the American League in 1947 and the second Black player to play in the MLB after Jackie Robinson.
"Unfortunately, everybody wasn't so happy he got there. And there were people who didn't shake his hand, there were people who gave him the dead fish handshake and there were a few who shook his hand," Doby Jr. said, adding, "He never mentioned the names of the guys who were the bad guys."
"The names that I heard in my house were the guys who looked out for him. The guys who made what he did possible," Doby Jr. said, as he thanked those who helped his father in Cleveland and in New Jersey. "Yogi Berra was one of the good guys. I heard his name. He treated him nice, with respect and welcomed him to the league, as he transitioned from the Negro leagues to the big leagues."
"My father was humble. He was understated," Doby Jr. said in closing. "It's a wonderful honor. I appreciate it. My family appreciates it."
"A well-deserved birthday gift," the Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Cleveland Indians, wrote Wednesday in a post on X.
"On what would have been his 100th birthday, Larry Doby was awarded today with the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal. Members of Doby's family gathered at the U.S. Capitol to receive the award in his honor and celebrate his accomplishments in the world of baseball and beyond."
Major League Baseball on Wednesday called Doby a "pioneer who demonstrated great character and courage throughout his life," in a post on X. "His legacy as a trailblazing player and manager endures to this day, and he will always remain one of the great heroes that our national pastime and nation have ever known."
Before Wednesday's ceremony, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J. -- who led the resolution to award the Congressional Gold Medal which was overwhelmingly passed by Congress -- honored Doby's "unshakeable courage."
"What Larry faced would have broken most men and women: unspeakable racism, threats of violence, and shunning from opponents and even from his teammates," Pascrell Jr. said.
"Larry endured and thrived because of unshakable courage and incredible character. Larry's strength and stardom in Major League Baseball played a pivotal role in helping advance American civil rights forward toward freedom and equality for millions of Black Americans."
