On September 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first MLB team to field an all-black starting lineup. Twenty-four years after Branch Rickey signed African-American Jackie Robinson, with the support of Commissioner Happy Chandler, Pirates Manager Danny Murtaugh penned the first all-black lineup. And man, it was a good one!
I'm never quite sure if I should collect and display cards of players from the year of the significant achievement/occurrence/event, or if I should collect cards from the year after, which may or may not recognize the achievement (i.e., all-black lineup, triple crown season, perfect game, etc.). In this case, I chose the former.
Top row: All 1971 Topps. Left fielder HoFer Willie Stargell; center fielder Gene Clines; and right fielder HoFer Roberto Clemente.
Middle row: 1971 O-Pee-Chee short stop Jackie Hernandez in a Royals uniform; 1971 O-Pee-Chee card of pitcher Dock Ellis; and a 1972 Topps Rennie Stennett at second base. I don't think Topps made a Stennett card in 1971. I wonder if some other manufacturer produced a set from 71 that included each of these players?
Bottom row: All 1971 Topps. Third baseman Dave Cash (local Utica, New Yorker); catcher Manny Sanguillen; and first baseman Al Oliver.
Above is the box score from the game I got from Baseball Almanac, which is a terrific source of info. In this game, the Pirates prevailed 10-7, while on their way to their World Series Championship!
Be well!
CinciCuse Bill
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