Cleveland Indians to unveil Larry Doby statue at Progressive Field on Saturday afternoon
Late civil rights, baseball pioneer honored permanently outside Right Field Gate at Progressive Field; Following the ceremony at 4:45PM, all gates will open at 5:30PM
Cleveland, OH-The Cleveland Indians will unveil the new Larry Doby statue on Saturday at 4:45PM at Progressive Field's Right Field Gate (Corner of East 9th and Larry Doby Way). Fans are encouraged to be in the area by 4:30PM.
Doby, who played with the Tribe from 1947-1955 and in 1959, was the first African-American to play in the American League, just months after Jackie Robinson debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Doby was signed from the Negro Leagues by then-owner Bill Veeck and went on to play a 12-year career - earning All-Star honors seven times.
Speakers at the ceremony include:
- Paul Dolan, Indians Owner and Chairman
- Jim "Mudcat" Grant, former Doby teammate and friend
- Larry Doby Jr., son of Larry Doby Sr.
Other attendees will include:
- Members of the Doby family
- Bill Robinson, Former Indians Traveling Secretary who helped Doby acclimate to MLB
- Larry Doby Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) baseball team
- Current Indians roster players
- Mark Shapiro, Indians President
Doby served in World War II and was elected to the Indians Hall of Fame in 1966 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. The Indians renamed Eagle Avenue to Larry Doby Way in his honor in 2012.
Doby's statue will reside outside the Right Field Gate alongside Jim Thome and Bob Feller.
The Indians will also provide a replica Doby statue to 12,500 fans courtesy of KeyBank, and fans at Saturday's game will enjoy post-game fireworks presented by Pierre's Ice Cream Co.