Remembering Monte Irvin

Monte Irvin was not the first African-American player in the modern major leagues.

But of all the talented players who made the perilous trip from the Negro Leagues to the big leagues in the late 1940s, Irvin may have been the best.

Irvin passed away peacefully Jan. 11 at his home in Houston at the age of 96.

“The National Pastime has lost a pioneer with the passing of Monte Irvin, and the Hall of Fame has lost a devoted family member and friend,” said Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “Monte followed in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson as one of the men who integrated baseball, then proceeded from his exceptional playing days to working tirelessly for years in the Commissioner’s office. His impact will always be felt on the game, and he will be missed in Cooperstown.”

He could hit for power, was a strong fielder at shortstop and could steal bases. One of the league’s biggest stars, he was elected to four East-West all-star games. After asking for a raise and being denied, Irvin went to play in Mexico and won the Triple Crown there in 1942.

Irvin’s baseball career was put on hold when he was drafted later that year into the U.S. Army. He served for three years as an engineer with the GS Engineers 1313th Battalion, and helped build infrastructure across the European conflict. In 1944, his unit was deployed to the secondary line during the famous “Battle of the Bulge.”

He returned to the Eagles in 1946, where he won his second batting title and helped win the Negro World Series.

In 1949, the New York Giants bought Irvin’s contract from the Eagles. In 1951 as New York’s regular left fielder, he sparked the Giants to win the pennant, hitting .312 with 24 home runs and a National League-best 121 RBI, en route to a third-place finish in the NL Most Valuable Player voting. Although the Giants lost to the Yankees in the World Series, Irvin batted a team-best .458 in the six-game series.

He played for the Giants for seven seasons, was selected to the 1952 All-Star Game and won a World Series with them in 1954. After an ankle injury, Irvin spent his final season with the Cubs in 1956. He finished with a .293 career batting average, 97 doubles, 99 home runs, and 443 RBI in the major leagues.

Irvin later became a scout for the New York Mets and later spent 17 years as a public relations specialist for the commissioner’s office under Commissioner Bowie Kuhn.

Irvin was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 by the Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues, becoming the fourth Negro Leaguer elected following Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard.