BOSTON — Elijah “Pumpsie” Green, the first black player on the Boston Red Sox, has died. He was 85.
A Red Sox spokesman confirmed his death Wednesday night.
Green played parts of four seasons with the Red Sox and one with the New York Mets from 1959-63, batting .246 with 13 homers and 74 RBI.
But his place in history was made when he stepped on the field as a pinch-runner against the Chicago White Sox on July 21, 1959.
The Red Sox were the last team in the major leagues to field a black player.
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