Yesterday Evan gave us a great read on Ralph Branca – the man – not the unfairly maligned baseball player. With his reference to Jackie Robinson and “shot” it brought me back to another historic moment in time and an article I had written eight years ago about one more little known Dodger who too was a better man.
George Shuba – now there’s a name that I suspect doesn’t ring a bell for many present-day baseball fans. However, mention George “Shotgun” Shuba around any old-time Dodger fan and you’re sure to get a smile.
Shuba did not have an especially notable career, one that was cut short by injury, but his career was not without significance to the Dodger organization and the history of the game itself. He was never a regular player but was a key pinch hitter and back-up outfielder for the Dodgers from 1948 through 1955. He hit .259 lifetime with the Dodgers, with 24 homers and 125 RBI in 355 games. There are suggestions he did not become a regular following a stellar year in the minor leagues in Mobile (21 HR, 110 RBI) either because Branch Rickey felt he did not have enough power or because he was not a strong defensive player.
“Shotgun” got his nickname for the way he sprayed line drives while he was in the Dodgers’ farm system, but his smooth left-handed swing wasn’t a fluke. It was the result of a tenacious practice regimen when he was a teenager. The Dodgers said Shuba earned his nickname after someone compared his line drives to the sound of buckshot.
He explains: “I got a bat and drilled a hole in it about six inches in the barrel. I put lead in it. Then in my basement, I had a ball of string hanging, and I would swing in 25-swing increments until I had 600 swings for the day. Sometimes I would do 400 swings in the day, go out on a date, and come back at 12:30 in the morning and do 200 more.”
He used that swing in 1953 to become the first National Leaguer to hit a pinch-hit home run in a World Series game. And though that may seem hard to believe, what was even more unbelievable is that he hit that two-run shot off Yankee great Allie Reynolds. At the time of his pinch-hit home run, Shotgun was completely unaware that it had etched his name into baseball history forever.
“Shotgun” Shuba’s final AB in the major leagues was in the 1955 World Series, again as a pinch hitter. Manager Walter Alston used him to pinch-hit for second baseman Don Zimmer. A hit at that time would have scored at least two runs in a tight final game that was eventually won by the Dodgers 2-0, but it wasn’t to be. Shotgun’s pinch-hit at-bat did, however, become part of the famous Sandy Amoros catch. With Don Zimmer now out of the game (having been pinch-hit for by Shuba), Jim Gilliam was moved to second base and Sandy Amoros entered the game in left field. A short while later, Amoros made his impossible and historic catch which he turned into a double play. Most agree that because Gilliam was not as fast as Amoros and unlike Amoros wore his glove on his left hand instead of his right, Gilliam would not have made that catch in the left-field corner and thus, no double play.
Shuba played seven seasons in the majors, all with Brooklyn, and like many others, he was known to have been outfoxed by Branch Rickey at contract negotiation time. Shuba wanted a salary increase to $23,000 and during his meeting with Rickey, the Dodger general manager was summoned to another office for an important phone call. As he waited, Shotgun noticed a contract with Jackie Robinson’s name on it for $21,000 sitting on Rickey’s desk. When Rickey returned, Shuba immediately agreed to take $20,000. Like many before him, he found out later that Jackie’s contract was a phony and that the important phone call had been a setup.
George “Shotgun” Shuba was rewarded by Roger Kahn with his own chapter in Kahn’s 1972 best selling book ‘The Boys Of Summer’, a book that was later selected by a Sports Illustrated panel as the greatest baseball book ever written. Kahn notes that even though Shuba hit that first-ever National League pinch-hit homer in a World Series game, he is best remembered for a truly remarkable moment in baseball history that occurred while Shuba was still in the minor leagues with the Montreal Royals. He was the first person to congratulate Jackie Robinson with a handshake on Jackie’s first home run in an all-white man’s league. As Jackie reached home plate at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City on April 18, 1946, Shuba extended his hand and shook Robinson’s hand, accepting Jackie as a respected teammate. The famous photo, ‘Handshake for the Century’, records a pivotal moment in Jackie’s career and marked the beginning of integration in professional baseball.
In a subsequent interview, Shuba answered a question about that historic moment:
“It didn’t matter that Jackie was black, he was the best guy on the team and he was my teammate. He could have been technicolor, it didn’t matter to me.”
“I could see in Jack’s eyes he was very happy I was at the plate to shake his hand,” George tells his son Mike later. “But I do remember a few guys that didn’t want to bat after Jack.”
Mike recognizes the importance of what happened at home plate that day. “Jackie was scared none of his teammates would shake his hand in public. Look at the photo – can you imagine Jackie crossing the plate with no one there? That was a sign America was maturing.”
Mike Shuba says a large framed photograph of that moment hangs proudly in the family home.
” It’s known as the first interracial handshake in a professional baseball game – not a barnstorming game or other exhibition. Mike, who owns the rights to the image, says “it was a labor of love to promote” his dad.
On July 20, 2008, at age 83, George “Shotgun” Shuba returned to Brooklyn and appeared at KeySpan Park (now called MCU Stadium) to greet fans and sign copies of his own book ‘My Memories as a Brooklyn Dodger’. Prior to that evening’s Brooklyn Cyclones game, Shuba participated in a reenactment of the ‘Handshake for the Century’ to commemorate the historic event. It was truly an emotional night for Shuba and for all in attendance.
George “Shotgun” Shuba died in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, on September 29, 2014, at age 89.
He will not be easily forgotten, especially in Youngstown where he lived his entire life. Plans are being made to commemorate that historic moment with a statute to be unveiled on April 18, 2021, the 75th anniversary of the handshake.
This is from The Business Journal in Youngstown on January 1, 2019.
A larger-than-life statue commemorating the inspiring 1946 handshake of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American Major League Baseball player, and George “Shotgun” Shuba, his white teammate from Youngstown, will inspire better relations among people of different racial backgrounds, say leaders of a group planning to build the statue in downtown Youngstown.
“A handshake at home plate by players of different races is no big deal in America today, but in 1946 it was a historic moment,” said Herb Washington, a local businessman, former Major League Baseball player and one of the co-chairs of the committee. “We want to memorialize that moment in a way that inspires people to relate more respectfully to those of other races. We need more Americans to follow the examples of Jackie Robinson and George Shuba.”
The bronze statue will portray the handshake as captured in a landmark photograph now owned by Mike Shuba. Both players will stand nearly 7 feet tall in bronze at a site in Wean Park near the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, where they would enjoy high visibility.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Mike and his father toured schools and youth centers across the United States to talk about the handshake and racial relations in sports.
“If my father were still around, he would be so thrilled and so proud,” Mike said. “That handshake with Jackie and the photo of it were among the highlights of his life.”
We too are proud to have been a tiny part in his life having heard Vin Scully call that 1953 pinch-hit home run and later learn of the “Hand Shake for the Century”.
I think we are all realizing why I don’t write for this blog. You guys are amazing!
Great article D.C. Makes us all realize the role baseball played in moving America forward to a more just society.
Great post DC! This too is epic! That smile on Jackie’s face is truly one for the ages!!! It speaks a million words, that are still being heard today!
I am sure Youngstown Ohio is very proud of George Shuba as well they should be. I thought Branch Rickey displaying a Jackie Robinson contract during negotiations, was very cagey. Wonder if anyone else had that happen to them? Good write-up as usual, DC. Interesting about Shuba’s work in his basement with his bats. Sure paid off, didn’t it? Loved the photo also amazing.
I hope the Dodgers will one day place a similar statue at Dodger stadium.
Wow! What another great piece of writing today.
AC / Jeff Dominique
DC / Everyone knows it is Harold Uhlman
2Demeter2
Evan Bladh
What an awesome bunch!!!
By the way, to add onto Mark’s comment and not to seem reclusive – my name is Rob Schelling. Although I am much less awesome than all the rest of these fine gentlemen and writers.
Mark and 2D2, do not sell yourself short. You are both part of an awesome bunch.
And that other guy!
He ain’t $________!
Always fun to mix in some fiction in here.
According to the “Last Good Season” by Michael Shapiro (pg 170) Shuba was unknowingly involved in another historic Dodgers decision. When the Dodgers were faced with the decision to either add Roberto Clemente to the roster, or subject him to the Rule 5 draft the executives asked Jackie Robinson his thoughts. Robinson asked which player would be replaced by Clemente and was told Shuba. Jackie agreed, but said that while Shuba was an average player he was extremely popular amongst his Dodgers teammates, and to replace him with Clemente could set back integration of MLB by 5 years. The rest is history.
Another talented and knowledgeable writer especially about pitchers, SoCalBum. Thank you for the input.
Thank you, but just a fan who loves the game and the Dodgers
Lux and Downs both are on MLB’s Top 10 prospects at SS. Out if 30 teams, the Dodgers have 2 of the Top 10 SS prospects. Pretty amazing!
Remember back to the trade? Dodger fans were aghast! Now the Dodgers have 2 of the best prospects in baseball and Alex Wood back. Andrew Friedman has got this!
Plus there is no Yasiel Puig, or Matt Kemp
We don’t know there is no Puig. He’s still out there waiting to be signed. 🙂
Fair point. He could be at Camelback Ranch for spring training — for the Chisox 🙂
Touche! Probably one of the most likely teams to sign him.
Dodgers have 7 top 100 prospects according to Baseball America. Ruiz did drop quite a bit and Cartaya made it. That’s 2 catchers in the top 100. Not bad.
The Dodgers also had 2 or 3 more in the Top 150… that did not make the Top 100. Hoese and Busch were there.
And Rodriguez. I love the depth in their system.
Very nice DC.
Never knew that about Clemente. Should have picked another player!
Ain’t hindsight wonderful? 🙂 If you consider the Dodgers 1954 roster it was loaded with outstanding talent. Shuba was the guy to go. We can only imagine what would have happened if Jackie Robinson had said that Clemente must be added to the roster so that he would not be lost in the draft. OH MY!
DC (or anyone else who might know) – do you know if the handshake picture can be purchased anywhere?
I am not sure except that Mike Shuba has a copyright to it. I expect he can do that. His picture is somewhat different than this one.
Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I wanted to add a comment regarding the state of travel baseball. More specifically, provide a quick link to a FanGraphs article summarizing the contents of Jeff Passan’s book “The Arm” (https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-arm-has-perfect-pitch/).
Although, the article does an excellent job summarizing the contents of the book, I highly recommend picking up a copy if you have kids, or know of anyone, involved in year round travel baseball.
There are plenty of pros and cons out there for travel/club baseball. Passan offers his own take in narrating the stories of two separate prep prospects Anthony Molina and Riley Pint. While Molina was heavily involved in the travel/club circuit, Riley’s dad chose to keep Riley away from showcases until his senior year of high school. Concentrating on developing Riley’s athletic abilities via other sports. In short, Riley Pint ended up as the 4th overall pick of the 2016 MLB draft. I realize there are also stories in favor of travel ball; however, as Passan illustrates, I wanted to debunk the idea that travel/club baseball is the only way to develop players, as there are plenty of stories on both sides.
Once again, I apologize for hijacking the thread to reintroduce a closed topic, but I wanted to do this in a spirit of shedding some light into an ideology that is geared towards lining up the pockets of travel clubs and showcase organizations alike.
Another great read by all you incredible writers. I look forward to this website everyday. Thank you.
Mark sells himself short as he does a super job of stirring the pot with great information and with foresight. I think he has an inside source. He includes all the graphics from any article I submit.
Then there is this.
WASHINGTON – Mayors of Chattanooga, Tenn., Dayton, Ohio, and Columbia, S.C. today will announce the official formation of the Mayors’ Task Force to Save Minor League Baseball.
The Task Force will be co-chaired by Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, and Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin.
The mayors will host a telephone news conference at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22 during the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Major League Baseball (MLB) in November proposed a dramatic restructuring to cut 42 of the 160 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams. Should the plan move forward, it would devastate communities across the country and have negative impacts for all affiliated minor league clubs, as it would decrease the value of the entire league. Among the 42 teams targeted to fold is Mayor Berke’s hometown Chattanooga Lookouts. The team, with roots dating back to 1885, has been an integral part of the community for generations.
The mayors will discuss formation of the Task Force, which follows on a Congressional Task Force established in December, and the strategy to continue the momentum on this issue before taking questions.
I hope they can all come together and exert enough pressure to make MLB back down. There many teams on the exit list which have huge fan support. I know the Dodger’s RK league team in Ogden is on the list (along with every other team on that level). They are hugely popular in the region.
It really is a naked attempt to cut costs for a league making record profits. The CA league has one team on the list. And it’s another team from a small town that draws solid crowds (Lancaster Jethawks, Colorado high A). MLB has a youth fan problem. And this is only making it worse.
I do not know if the minor league park in Salt Lake City is well-attended and profitable now. I had the opportunity of seeing some games there in the 90’s and it was a beautiful facility then. Hope it is not on the list or put on the list.
JCobb – you are right on all accounts. That would make a nice opinion piece for you on LADT. You obviously are passionate about it.
Hope the mayors are successful in stopping this travesty.
Wow. Another great article. Lean something new here everyday.
Here are the seven (7) Dodgers prospects for BA’s top 100.
Only the Rays have more prospects with eight.
IF Gavin Lux (4) RHP Dustin May (20) C Keibert Ruiz (81) RHP Tony Gonsolin (82) RHP Josiah Gray (84) IF Jeter Downs (86) C Diego Cartaya (97)
But… we could have had Matt Kemp (outta’ baseball), Yasiel Puig, Kyle Farmer, and Alex Wood (well we have him).
Look what we got from Cincinnati. Gray and Downs both in top 100. AF knows how to judge talent. If I was a GM on another team, I would not want to dicker with AF.
I made that point the other day and was reminded that AF did give up Alvarez to Houston!
Dodgers also traded Oneil Cruz to the Pirates in 2017 for Tony Watson. Cruz is now the Pirates no. 3 prospect (no. 57 of Baseball America’s top 100) a 6′ 7″ shortstop with 70 to 80 grade power, plus running speed, and plus arm — but also some big holes in his swing.
Wow – what a great piece! I’m on the Robinson-Shuba Commemorative Statue Committee. We need your help and support to raise the $400k needed for the statue. Please go to Robinson-Shuba.org, and find us on Facebook (like us and share). We need donations large and small to celebrate one of the greatest moments in racial equality in sports history!! Thx and happy new year to all!
Wow I am so glad I joined this group of fine gentlemen and ladies, I’m proud of you guys and thank you so much for all you do for us!! I love all ur articles and it’s an honor to speak with all of you!!!
Cassidy. True on Alvarez. However, he is not good defensively. He fits in the American League and not in the National League.
Welcome Joe.
Joe we are so glad you joined.