When The MLB Banned Afro-Latinos

America's Favorite Pastime is more complicated than often remembered

“We had two strikes against us: One for being Black, and another for being Latino,” says Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda.

The struggle African American athletes face in the United States is well documented. But the game of baseball was also popular in Latin America, and today Latinos make up 31 percent of players on Major League rosters. Along with African Americans, Afro-Latinos were also prohibited from the MLB, whereas white-passing Latinos were accepted.

MLB’s Color Barrier

The first African-American player to play in professional baseball was Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Weldy Walker. The two played for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1884. At the time, the league held no written rules banning people of color from joining the league, but this didn’t last long.

After Moses and Weldy’s introduction, prominent white players like Cap Anson from the Chicago club threatened the league with sitting out games if the opposing team had a person of color in the lineup.

In 1884 and 1887, Anson’s threats successfully forced the Blue Stockings and the Newark Little Giants to sit their Black players, Moses Fleetwood Walker and George Stovey, for the game to start.

With the success of Walker and Stovey, and the growing number of African Americans and Afro-Latinos playing, owners of the International League (today’s minor league) held a vote on whether they will be allowed in the future.