I Never Had It Made

Although the 1948 season was not as successful as his first, either for Robinson statistically or for his now-third-place club, there was clearly less pressure on Robinson as the Dodgers now had a couple of other black players and a few other teams had integrated as well. The 1948 season was indeed a turning point in proving that Rickey’s noble experiment was working. Black fans continued to pour through the turnstiles at ballparks not only to support Robinson, but also the handful of other black players now in Major League Baseball. One particular anecdote from the 1948 season identifies another way that Rickey’s plan was working: In what Robinson argues was the most important thing that happened to him during the season, he was ejected from a game for arguing with an umpire. Robinson does not make this argument as if the ejection was some sort of rite of passage for a ballplayer, but rather that he was, as one newspaper headline put it, “just another guy” (75), being treated the same as any other player.

In terms of Robinson’s storytelling, Chapter 5 serves as a turning point as well because he transitions from discussing his experiences in life and baseball as someone who has felt the sting associated with having to accept the injustices to someone who now has the freedom and ability to fight back.