Monte Irvin
Monte Irvin, who was among the first players to break the color barrier and move from the Negro Leagues to play Major League Baseball, will be remembered by friends and family in a “celebration of life” at the South Orange Performing Arts Center this Saturday, April 30 at 11 a.m.
Irvin died in Texas in January at the age of 96.
Irvin was born in Alabama but grew up in Orange. Although a New York Daily News article says Irvin grew up in South Orange, all other sources point to Orange; indeed, the City of Orange renamed Orange Park as Monte Irvin Orange Park in his honor in 2006.
From the National Baseball Hall of Fame website:
He joined the Newark Eagles and quickly became an outstanding all-around player. He could hit for power, was a strong fielder at shortstop and could steal bases. One of the league’s biggest stars, he was elected to four East-West all-star games. After asking for a raise and being denied, Irvin took off for Mexico and won the Triple Crown there.
He returned to the Eagles in 1946 where he won his second batting title and helped win the Negro World Series. In 1949, the New York Giants bought Irvin’s contract from the Eagles. In 1951 as New York’s regular left fielder, he sparked the Giants to win the pennant, hitting .312 with 24 home runs and a National League-best 121 RBI, en route to a third-place finish in the MVP voting. Although the Giants lost to the Yankees in the World Series, Irvin batted .458 in the six-game series.
He played for the Giants for seven seasons, was elected to the 1952 All-Star Game and won a World Series with them in 1954. After an ankle injury, spent his final season with the Cubs in 1956. He finished with a .293 career batting average, 97 doubles, 99 home runs, and 443 RBIs in the major leagues.
Following his playing career, Irvin became a scout for the New York Mets and later spent 17 years as a public relations specialist for the commissioner’s office under Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Of Irvin’s character, Kuhn once wrote, “If they ever decide to start the Hall of Fame all over and place decency above all else, Monte would be the first man in.”
In 1973, Irvin was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on Negro Leagues.
“Baseball is a game you’d play for nothing,” Irvin said. “And I am so happy the Lord gave me a little ability, because it allowed me to meet a lot of good people and see so many exciting places.”
Read MLB.com’s story on Monte Irvin here.
