Tucked into all the history that comes with the Chicago Cubs making their first World Series appearance since 1945 is one amazing fact that Dexter Fowler learned about not long after spraying champagne all over the clubhouse.
When he leads off Game 1 of the 2016 World Series, Fowler is going to be the first African-American to play for the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Ever.
That seems like an oddity in 2016, since the days of Jackie Robinson and integration are long behind us. But it’s not an oddity when talking about the Cubs, whose historical postseason struggles are the main storyline of this year’s MLB postseason.
Robinson played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, two years after the Cubs lost in seven games to the Detroit Tigers in the 1945 World Series.
“That’s unbelievable,” Fowler said Monday at Progressive Field.
Fowler, 30, isn’t the only African-American player on the Cubs’ roster, but seeing as how he’ll be the first batter of the game, he’ll be the first to go in the record books.
Fowler said he didn’t realize this bit of history until he saw it on Twitter. He shared it on his account and seemed genuinely happy, both then and now, to have the honor.
Wow… speechless. Thanks for sharing this fact. I will carry it with me https://t.co/OkcHe5sx15— Dexter Fowler (@DexterFowler) October 23, 2016
“You look at it,” he says. “And you’re like ‘wow’ — that’s when it really sinks in. It’s crazy to even think about.”
This is also a testament to just how long the Cubs’ World Series drought has been. Back in 1945, the World Series featured players such as Peanuts Lowrey, Cy Block, Skeeter Webb, Red Borom and Stubby Overmire (Yes, those are real names, not people we just made up.)
“My parents weren’t even alive then,” Fowler says. “That’s a lifetime.”
As jovial as Fowler was about his unlikely place in history, he stopped at one point to pay homage to one specific person.
“It all wouldn’t be possible,” Fowler said, “without Jackie.”
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