Robinson blazes trails as first Black manager in National League

Written by: Craig Muder

Frank Robinson made history when he managed his first game for the Cleveland Indians in 1975.

Six years later, Robinson again wrote his name into the record books when he became the first fulltime Black manager in National League history.

On Jan. 14, 1981, Robinson was named the manager of the San Francisco Giants. He had led Cleveland for two-and-a-half seasons before being dismissed during the 1977 campaign, becoming the first Black manager in American League annals. Then from 1978 through 1980, Robinson served as the hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles.

Frank Robinson in Giants cap
Frank Robinson became the first Black man to manage an American League club from the start of a season with Cleveland in 1975. Six years later, he achieved the same feat in the National League with San Francisco. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)
 

“I think he’s acquired a little more patience than he had in that first go-around,” Orioles manager Earl Weaver told the Associated Press when the Giants hired Robinson while heartily endorsing Robinson’s credentials.

Robinson, who grew up across San Francisco Bay in Oakland, Calif., got a two-year contract to manage the Giants. He had posted a respectable 186-189 record with Cleveland but at times clashed with management and players. His aggressive style from his Hall of Fame playing career carried over into the dugout, where Robinson tolerated nothing less than full effort at all times.

Giants owner Bob Lurie was anxious to add that kind of fire to his team.

“He knows how to manage, he knows how to win, he knows how to communicate,” Lurie told the AP. “I believe he will have the ability to earn the respect of the players and fans in a very short time.”

Frank Robinson wearing black Giants jersey
The Giants posted winning records in each of Frank Robinson's first two seasons at the helm in 1981 and 1982. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)
 

Robinson inherited a Giants team that lost 86 games in 1980 and had only one winning season in the previous seven years. But Robinson turned things around in a hurry, leading San Francisco to a 56-55 record in 1981 while integrating the National League managerial ranks. Ernie Banks had served as the Cubs manager in 1973 when he was a coach (after manager Whitey Lockman was ejected from a game) but Robinson was the first Black manager with a permanent position in NL history.

In 1982 – the year Robinson was elected to the Hall of Fame as a player – Robinson and the Giants made a push for the National League West title, winning 18 of their first 23 games in September to challenge the Braves and Dodgers for the top spot in the division. The teams entered the final weekend of the season with Atlanta leading both Los Angeles and San Francisco by one game, with the Dodgers and Giants set to play a three-game series in San Francisco to end the year.

Dodgers wins on Friday and Saturday ended the Giants’ hopes, but San Francisco repaid their rivals on Sunday, Oct. 3, when Joe Morgan’s three-run, seventh-inning home run gave the Giants a 5-2 lead that would become a 5-3 win and eliminate Los Angeles – giving Atlanta the title.

Robinson and the Giants finished 87-75 in 1982, just two games behind the Braves.

Frank Robinson in Giants uniform
Frank Robinson won 1,065 games across 16 seasons managing the Indians, Giants, Orioles, Expos and Nationals. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)
 

The Giants regressed to 79-83 in 1983, and Robinson was let go in 1984 when the team began the season with a 42-64 record. But Robinson would be hired as the Orioles manager early in in the 1988 season, and in 1989 – with Baltimore coming off a 107-loss campaign – Robinson led the team to an 87-75 record while earning American League Manager of the Year honors. He remained with the Orioles into the 1991 season then assumed his fourth managerial post in 2002 when he took over the Expos, leading the team for five seasons – the final two of which came in Washington, D.C., after the team relocated.

Robinson finished his 16-year managerial career with a record of 1,065-1,176. At each stop, Robinson commanded the respect of players and opponents alike.

“I feel like I can bring leadership to this ballclub,” Robinson told reporters when he was hired by the Giants. “I feel like I can inspire the players to play up to their potential.”


Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

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