After Jackie Robinson hit his first professional home run on April 18, 1946, in Jersey City, N.J., while playing for the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers' top minor league team, Youngstown native George Shuba shook his hand at home plate, the first time a white ball player congratulated a black teammate in professional baseball. Robinson had been shunned by the two players who were on base and scored on his hit, and in an era of open racism Shuba's gesture stood out as a simple but powerful act of respect and kindness. It came as Ohio native Branch Rickey, a co-owner of the Dodgers, challenged Major League Baseball's unwritten ban on black players and assigned Robinson to the Montreal club. The moment has been called "A Handshake for the Century" and is remembered as helping pave the way for integration in professional sports, marking a new era in baseball and much of American life.
