Good morning Obots!
Today’s Famous Firsts — The Pittsburgh Pirates all Black and Latino starting lineup on September 1, 1971.
The events of September 1, 1971 have never received much media attention, paling in comparison to the coverage of Jackie Robinson’s historic entrance into the major leagues. Yet, the happenings in Pittsburgh on that date constitute one of the most significant milestones in the racial history of major league baseball.
That afternoon, while sitting in his office at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager Danny Murtaugh prepared to oppose the Philadelphia Phillies and filled out the following names on his lineup card:
| Order | Player/position |
|---|---|
| 1. | Rennie Stennett, 2B |
| 2. | Gene Clines, CF |
| 3. | Roberto Clemente, RF |
| 4. | Willie Stargell, LF |
| 5. | Manny Sanguillen, C |
| 6. | Dave Cash, 3B |
| 7. | Al Oliver, 1B |
| 8. | Jackie Hernandez, SS |
| 9. | Dock Ellis, P |
At first glance, Murtaugh’s lineup seemed to represent nothing particularly out of the ordinary. In fact, the lineup appeared typical of ones that he would use against left-handed starters.
Upon further review, however, observers in the press box noticed that the lineup consisted exclusively of African-American and dark-skinned Latin American players. Baseball experts surmised that for the first time in the history of baseball, and 24 years after Jackie Robinson had broken the color barrier, a major league team was employing an all-black/Latino lineup.
“It really wasn’t a major thing, until around the third or fourth inning, and Dave Cash was sitting next to me and one of us said: ‘You know, we got all brothers out there, man,’ and we kind of chuckled because it was no big deal to us. We really had no idea that history was being made.”
In 2011, Manny Sanguillen enthusiastically recalled the events of Sept. 1, 1971.
“We were like the Bingo Long All-Stars that day against Philadelphia,” said Sanguillen in reference to the 1976 movie about life in the Negro Leagues.
According to some baseball historians, the all-black lineup of September 1, 1971, remains significant because it exhibited how progressive the Pirate organization was in drafting and signing blacks and Latinos at all positions. In the past, major league teams had shown a willingness to sign many black infielders and outfielders, but had tended to avoid developing minority pitchers and catchers.
The all-black lineup demonstrated the Pirates’ belief that blacks and Latinos could play the “thinking man’s” game behind the plate or on the mound.
