Jackie Robinson Made History in a Royals Jersey

Robinson broke the color barrier in the International League as a Montreal Royal in 1946

This story was written by Curt Nelson, Director of the Royals Hall of Fame

The late winter of 1946 was monumental for Jackie Robinson. He married Rachel Isum in Los Angeles on February 10, and then reported to spring training for his first year in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. He was assigned to Montreal, the Dodgers top farm club, who trained in Daytona Beach, FL.

On April 18, 1946, at Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium, Robinson broke the color barrier in the International League. He made history that day in a Royals jersey — a Montreal Royals jersey. Robinson would go on to lead those Royals to one of the best minor league seasons in history.

How good were the 1946 Montreal Royals? Baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright ranked them among the Top 100 Minor League Clubs of All-Time in their 2001 survey. The Royals easily won the regular season with an impressive 100–54 record — 18 ½ games in front of the Syracuse Chiefs. After defeating the Chiefs in the playoffs for the International League Championship, the Royals knocked off the American Association Champion Louisville Colonels for the Junior World Series title.

The 27-year-old Robinson was named the International League’s MVP after winning the batting title (.349), and leading the league in runs scored (113). Jackie’s now seemingly inevitable ascent to breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier became even clearer. The final historic step came on April 15, 1947 when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field against the Boston Braves.