Sports Illustrated - USA (2022-04)

Autumn

in

Ne w York

JACKIE ROBINSON’S IMPACT REVERBERATED

WORLD, THE CITY HE REPRESENTED AND BEYOND

SPORTS

ILLUSTRATED

SI.COM

APRIL 2022

55

BY

KOSTYA KENNEDY

PHOTOGRAPH BY

JOHN G. ZIMMERMAN

Game 6, 1956 World Series, Brooklyn

T WAS THE BOTTOM of the 10th inning, two outs, scoreless, and

the Dodgers had Jim Gilliam on second base and Duke Snider on first.

Jackie Robinson was coming up to face the Yankees’ Bob Turley for the

fifth time in the game.

He stepped across home plate in front of Yogi Berra, rolled his shoulders

and gently wagged his bat before finding his place in the batter’s box. The

Yankees outfielders played Robinson deep and swung over toward the

left side. Mickey Mantle in center, Hank Bauer in right, Enos Slaughter in left. The

shortstop, Gil McDougald, was playing well over into the hole, allowing Gilliam to

take a substantial lead at second base, and the second baseman, Billy Martin, kept

dodging over to try to lure Gilliam back to the bag.

So very much would happen in Robinson’s life over the weeks and months to

come. Japan. The Spingarn banquet. The job at Chock Full. His trade, authorized by

Walter O’Malley, to the New York Giants. Retirement from the game. Meetings with

the NAACP. Letters to Martin Luther King Jr. But right now, there was only this.