How Old Was Jackie Robinson When He Started Playing Baseball?

Many people don’t know how old Jackie Robinson was when he started playing baseball. He was actually quite young – only 18 years old. This is an amazing feat, considering he went on to become one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Jackie Robinson’s Background

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children. His father, Mallie Robinson, worked as a sharecropper. His mother, Lena, was a schoolteacher. When Jackie was six years old, his family moved to Pasadena, California.

Jackie Robinson’s family

Jackie Robinson’s family were sharecroppers in Georgia. His father left the family when Robinson was only a year old. His mother moved the family to Pasadena, California, when he was a teenager. It was there that he became friends with Pee Wee Reese, who would later be his teammate on the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jackie Robinson’s early life

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, into a family of sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children. His mother, Mallie Robinson, single-handedly raised the family after his father left when Jackie was only an infant.

Sharecropping was a form of agriculture in which landless laborers rented plots of land from landowners in exchange for a portion of their crop’s proceeds. At the end of each harvest season, farmers would often find themselves in debt to their landlords due to exorbitant interest rates and other fees. As a result, many sharecroppers were forced to work year after year without ever achieving financial stability.

Mallie Robinson instilled in her children the importance of education as a way out of poverty. Against all odds, Jackie went on to attend college at the historically black institution known as UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). There, he became the first student-athlete to win varsity letters in four different sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track.

Jackie Robinson’s Baseball Career

Jackie Robinson was just 28 years old when he started playing baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, making him one of the youngest players in the Major Leagues at the time. He would go on to have an extraordinarily successful career, setting several records and becoming the first African American player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jackie Robinson’s college baseball career

In 1937, Robinson enrolled at Pasadena Junior College (now Pasadena City College). At PJC, he continued his athletic career, competing in football, basketball, track and baseball. In baseball, he played shortstop and second base. In his sophomore year of 1938, he was selected to the All-Southland junior college baseball team. In 1939, he was one of four African American players on the PJC football team; as a result of his proficiency in football and basketball, Robinson was designated “athlete of the year” and named to the All-Southland junior college basketball team. As of 2011, Robinson is still the lone African American athlete so honored by Pasadena City College.

Jackie Robinson’s minor league baseball career

Robinson’s minor league baseball career began in 1946, when he played for the Montreal Royals, a Minor League Baseball team that was affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was assigned to the team by Branch Rickey, the Dodgers’ general manager, who had signed Robinson to a contract with the Dodgers in October 1945. The Royals were part of the International League (IL), and during Robinson’s one season with the team, he played shortstop, second base, and third base. He led the IL in batting average (.349), stolen bases (40), and fielding percentage (.985), and was named the IL Rookie of the Year.

In 1947, Robinson was promoted to the Dodgers’ Major League Baseball (MLB) team. He became the first African-American player in MLB history. During his rookie season, Robinson led the league in stolen bases (29) and was named MLB Rookie of the Year. In 1949, he won MLB batting title (.342 average) and was named National League MVP. He played in six World Series with the Dodgers, winning one championship (1955).

Jackie Robinson’s major league baseball career

Jackie Robinson’s major league baseball career began on April 15, 1947, when he became the first African American to play in a Major League Baseball game. Robinson was 28 years old when he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He went on to play 10 seasons with the Dodgers, winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 and the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

The Impact of Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children. His father, Mallie, was a sharecropper and his mother, Jackie, was a maid. When Jackie was six years old, his family moved to Pasadena, California. Pasadena was a tough neighborhood, and Jackie often got into trouble. When he was thirteen, he was arrested for stealing a pair of shoes.

Jackie Robinson’s impact on baseball

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. His debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947 broke the color barrier in professional baseball that had restricted the playing field to white players since the 1880s. Robinson went on to play ten seasons in MLB, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, National League MVP in 1949, and a World Series championship in 1955. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Robinson’s impact on baseball was widespread and long-lasting. His career helped to break down racial barriers not only in baseball but also in other areas of American society. After retirement from playing, he remained active as an advocate for social justice, working for several civil rights organizations. In 1997, Major League Baseball recognized his contributions by retiring his uniform number, 42, across all MLB teams.

Jackie Robinson’s impact on society

Jackie Robinson’s impact on society was immense. He not only broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, but he also did it with grace and dignity. He was an excellent role model for African Americans and showed that they could achieve anything they set their minds to. He also helped to change the perception of African Americans in the eyes of white America.