1952 Parkhurst Frostade #64, Dan Bankhead ⭐ MLB Pioneer
Dan Bankhead holds a monumental place in sports history as the first African American pitcher in Major League Baseball.
After showcasing an elite, "fireballing" arm with the Birmingham Black Barons and Memphis Red Sox in the Negro Leagues, he broke the pitching color barrier on August 26, 1947, with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Bankhead was also a uniquely skilled, two-way player; he was leading the Negro Leagues with a .385 batting average when MLB purchased his contract, and famously hit a home run in his very first MLB at-bat.