Who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947?

Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947.

Robinson broke MLB’s modern color line when he made his Brooklyn Dodgers debut at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947. He started at first base and helped the Dodgers defeat the Boston Braves 5–3. His arrival followed a carefully planned effort by Dodgers executive Branch Rickey, who selected Robinson for his athletic ability, discipline, and willingness to withstand intense racism.

Robinson had already broken barriers in the minor leagues with the Montreal Royals in 1946. In the major leagues, he faced racial abuse from fans and opposing players, yet won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 and the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949.

The wording “first African American” generally means the first in MLB’s modern era. Moses Fleetwood Walker had played for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1884, decades before Robinson, but baseball’s color line then excluded Black players from the major leagues. Robinson’s number 42 was retired across MLB in 1997.