The First Black MLB Player Wasn't Jackie Robinson Moses Fleetwood Walker broke baseball's color barrier on May 1, 1884, playing for the Toledo Blue Stockings—63 years before Jackie Robinson. Born in Mount Pleasant, Ohio in 1856, Walker caught barehanded, faced lynch threats, endured racist teammates, and finished with a .263 average before being forced out by Cap Anson's racism. His brother Weldy became the second Black player. After the 1887 color ban, no Black players returned until Robinson i