WASHINGTON, D.C. — Baseball legend Lawrence Eugene “Larry” Doby was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday for his role in integrating Major League Baseball. Doby was the first Black player in the American League and the second in MLB.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the nation's highest civilian honor, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

What You Need To Know

  • Baseball legend Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal

  • Doby was the first Black player in the American League and the second in Major League Baseball

  • Larry Doby, Jr. accepted the award on his father's behalf, as Doby passed away in 2003

Doby joined the Cleveland Guardians, previously named the Indians, in July 1947, just three months after Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first Black player in the National League.

Democratic and Republican leaders in both the House and Senate spoke at a ceremony honoring Doby.

“If Jackie Robinson broke down the color barrier, then Larry Doby cleared the wreckage and in doing so, charted a path for Black athletes that you can draw a direct line to today,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “The cascading event of his introduction to professional athletics cannot be [overstated].”

As Doby died in 2003, his son, Larry Doby, Jr., accepted the honor on his behalf.

“He helped advance this country and he would be extremely proud and humbled by this honor,” Doby, Jr. said.

Doby grew up in Paterson, N.J. and began his professional baseball career at age 17 with the Newark Eagles. He was the first person to go directly from the Negro Leagues to the Major Leagues.

During his career Doby was the first African American to hit a home run in a World Series game and was voted to seven All-Star teams. He also served in the Navy during WWII.

All along the way, though, he faced barriers because of his skin color.

“When he walked onto the field in Chicago, he found himself playing a team sport but was not treated as a teammate,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “He slept in different hotels, he had to eat in different restaurants. He had to endure the incessant daily slights and the outright racism that teammates, opponents and fans hurled at him.”

Doby’s Congressional Gold medal is made of solid gold and depicts Doby with Hinchliffe Stadium in the background.