1952 – The St. Louis Browns become the first major league organization to loan or sell players to a team outside of the United States when they “lend” two African-American minor league players, infielder John Britton and pitcher Jimmy Newberry, to the Hankyu Braves of the Japanese Pacific League. Abe Saperstein, owner and coach of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, negotiated this special example in lend-lease for both sides.