<P> The authors of a controversial article in the 1998 issue of SABR's The National Pastime argued that Veeck invented the story of buying the Phillies, claiming Philadelphia's black press made no mention of a prospective sale to Veeck . Subsequently, the article was strongly challenged by the late historian Jules Tygiel, who refuted it point - by - point in an article in the 2006 issue of SABR's The Baseball Research Journal, and in an appendix, entitled "Did Bill Veeck Lie About His Plan to Purchase the' 43 Phillies?", published in Paul Dickson's biography, Bill Veeck: Baseball's Greatest Maverick . Joseph Thomas Moore wrote in his biography of Doby, "Bill Veeck planned to buy the Philadelphia Phillies with the as yet unannounced intention of breaking that color line ." The Phillies ended up being the last National League team, and third - last team in the majors, to integrate, with John Kennedy debuting for the Phillies in 1957, 15 years after Veeck's attempted purchase . </P> <P> Around 1945, Branch Rickey, General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, held tryouts of black players, under the cover story of forming a new team called the "Brooklyn Brown Dodgers ." The Dodgers were, in fact, looking for the right man to break the color line . Rickey had an advantage in that he was already an employee of the Dodgers . Also, Landis had died by this time and new commissioner Happy Chandler was more supportive of integrating the major leagues . </P> <P> The color line was breached when Rickey, with Chandler's support, signed the African American player Jackie Robinson in October 1945, intending him to play for the Dodgers . Chandler later wrote in his biography that although he risked losing his job as commissioner, he could not in good conscience tell black players they could not play with white players when they had fought alongside them in World War II . date </P> <P> After a year in the minor leagues with the Dodgers' top minor - league affiliate, the Montreal Royals of the International League, Robinson was called up to the Dodgers in 1947 . He endured epithets and death threats and got off to a slow start . However, his athleticism and skill earned him the first ever Rookie of the Year award, which is now named in his honor . </P>

Who was the first african american to play in baseball's major leagues