For the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans, Black History Month is a fitting time to reflect on the legacies of the club’s finest African-American ballplayers, particularly those, like Curt Flood and Bob Gibson, who endured racial discrimination in the minors and initial pushback in the majors.
The Cardinals signed their first black ballplayer, first baseman Tom Alston, in 1954, seven long years after Jackie Robinson had debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Yet a decade after Alston’s arrival, four standout African-American players — Flood, Gibson, Bill White, and Lou Brock — propelled the team to the 1964 World Championship, the team’s first since 1946.