Willie Mays belts two home runs to lead the Giants to a 9 – 3 Cactus League win over the Cleveland Indians

Willie Mays belts two home runs to lead the Giants to a 9 – 3 Cactus League win over the Cleveland Indians

1957 – At Los Angeles’s Wrigley Field, Willie Mays belts two home runs to lead the Giants to a 9 – 3 Cactus League win over the Cleveland Indians. Giants general manager Bill Rigney fines Hank Thompson $150 for missing last night’s exhibition win over the Indians in San Diego.

Gaints take game 2 of Series behind Johnny Antonelli and Dusty Rhodes
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Gaints take game 2 of Series behind Johnny Antonelli and Dusty Rhodes

September 30, 1954 Once again, the visitors started quickly but could not hold their lead. Al Smith’s leadoff home run off Johnny Antonelli put Cleveland up 1–0. Early Wynn preserved that lead, pitching four perfect innings, but in the fifth inning, Willie Mays walked and Hank Thompson singled, and Dusty Rhodes, again pinch-hitting for Monte…

In the opening game of the World Series, the first all-black outfield in major league history makes its appearance

In the opening game of the World Series, the first all-black outfield in major league history makes its appearance

In the opening game of the World Series, the first all-black outfield in major league history makes its appearance when Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, and Hank Thompson take the field for the Giants at Yankee Stadium. Leo Durocher, in a curious move, replaces the previously injured outfielder Don Mueller in right field with Hank Thompson, a third baseman by trade, and uses veteran outfielder Bobby Thomson at the hot corner.

Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson become the first black players for the New York Giants

Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson become the first black players for the New York Giants

On July 8, 1949, Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson, brought up from Jersey City three days earlier, become the first black players for the New York Giants. Irvin walks in a pinch-hitting appearance in the 8th for Clint Hartung, while Thompson goes hitless in a 4-3 loss to Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The game marks…

Hank Thompson and right fielder Willard “Home Run” Brown play for the St. Louis Browns

Hank Thompson and right fielder Willard “Home Run” Brown play for the St. Louis Browns

On July 20, 1947, two black players appear in a major league lineup for the first time. Second baseman Hank Thompson and right fielder Willard “Home Run” Brown play for the St. Louis Browns in a doubleheader. The Browns win both games, 4-3 and 7-6, over the Boston Red Sox. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IGp1c3QgY2xpY2sgdGhlIHRhZ3MhICAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsImxpbmtfdG9fdGVybV9wYWdlIjoib24iLCJzZXBhcmF0b3IiOiIgfCAiLCJjYXRlZ29yeV90eXBlIjoicG9zdF90YWcifX0=@

Hank Thompson and Willard Brown become the second and third black players in the American League and first for the Browns

Hank Thompson and Willard Brown become the second and third black players in the American League and first for the Browns

Less than two weeks after Larry Doby’s debut with the Indians, Hank Thompson and Willard Brown become the second and third black players in the American League and first for the Browns. The former Kansas City Monarchs standouts will play in less than 30 games for St. Louis because their presence does not significantly raise attendance.