George Shuba
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| George Shuba | |
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| Born | December 13, 1924 Youngstown, Ohio |
George "Shotgun" Shuba (December 13, 1924 - ) served for seven seasons as utility outfielder and lefthanded pinch hitter for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His seven seasons included a World Series championship in 1955.
He was born to Slovak immigrants in Youngstown, Ohio, an industrial town with a strong tradition of amateur and minor league baseball. Shuba gained his early experience playing for minor league clubs.
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[edit] Baseball career
Shuba is most often remembered for his symbolic role in breaking down major league baseball's tenacious "color barrier". In 1946, he was captured in a legendary photograph shaking hands with Jackie Robinson, when the two men were teammates for the Montreal Royals. The moment was described as "the first interracial handshake" in North American baseball's recent history.[1]
He made his professional debut with the Dodgers on July 2, 1948. At the peak of his playing career, Shuba delivered a pinch-hit homer in the 1953 World Series opener, which the New York Yankees won 9-5. Knee surgery, however, reduced his effectiveness after that season. Shuba played his final game on September 25, 1955.
[edit] Later years
Following his retirement, Shuba returned to Youngstown, where he lives today. A 2006 article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune noted that Shuba continues to take pride in the photograph of his groundbreaking handshake with teammate Robinson. A copy of the photo currently hangs behind his favorite living room chair.[2]
In a 1996 interview with a Youngstown paper, Shuba recalled his impressions of the legendary Robinson: "To me, Jackie was like all the other guys, a player who came to play and we knew he would be a good one, but what me or anyone else at the time didn't know was how good he would be".[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Chicago Tribune, April 17, 2006.
- ^ Chicago Tribune, April 17, 2006.
- ^ The Vindicator, Youngstown, Ohio, April 18, 1996.
