Larry Doby and Monte Irvin

I got some good news at work recently, and am celebrating by buying a few more nice cards this summer than I might have otherwise.  And the first two of these arrived in the mail on Monday.

1951 Bowman Larry Doby.

I've posted about Larry Doby several times, and I'm very glad to now have this good card of him with the Indians.  I posted another good card I got of Doby recently, but that was after he left Cleveland and was with the White Sox.  It was with Cleveland that Larry Doby became the second black MLB player just months after Jackie Robinson, and it was with Cleveland that Larry Doby and Satchel Paige became the first black MLB players to win a World Series in 1948.  Doby played with the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League from 1942 through 1944 and again in 1946 and part of 1947; between those two stints, he was in the Navy during WWII.

1954 Topps Monte Irvin.

Monte Irvin also played with the Newark Eagles, from 1938 to 1942 and 1945 through 1948.  In the time between those stints Irvin was also in WWII, serving in the Army including in the Battle of the Bulge.  Doby and Irvin and company won the Negro World Series with the Newark Eagles in 1946, beating the Kansas City Monarchs.  Irvin started with the New York Giants in 1949 and stayed with them through 1955, winning the World Series in 1954.  He finished out his career with the Cubs in 1956.   He died relatively recently, in 2016 at age 96.

Thanks for reading!