1958 Topps Philidelphia Phillies #134, John Kennedy RC ⭐ MLB Pioneer
This is key card in my MLB Pioneer Collection and John Kennedy's only image on a flagship card during his brief MLB career.
Like many early professional African-American players, John Kennedy was denied a meaningful opportunity to play at the highest level because of the color of his skin.
He was 30 years-old, on April 22, 1957, when he made history becoming the first African-American player to appear in a game for the Philadelphia Phillies, breaking the team’s color barrier a full decade after Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball. Kennedy’s debut came as a pinch-runner against the Brooklyn Dodgers, symbolizing both progress and the Phillies’ long-delayed step toward integration.

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