In picking five significant players who changed the game in major league baseball, I broke my usual rule of only including those who I’d actually seen play. The contributions of the players included on the list from before my time were just too great and too significant to leave them off. Here are five players who changed the game in major league baseball:
1. Jackie Robinson – when he was called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946, breaking the color line in baseball, it was the most significant change in the history of the game. He handled the adversity of having to face racism in ballparks across the country with class and dignity, and paved the way for minorities to play in the major leagues. Some of that racism came not only from the bleachers, but from opposing dugouts and even his own clubhouse.
2. Babe Ruth – before “The Babe” came on the scene, baseball was in what is now referred to as the “dead ball” era, where the player who led the league in home runs hit around 10 or so for the whole year. The game was dominated by pitching and speed. Ruth, after starting his career as a pitcher, became the most prolific home run hitter of all time and lifted the popularity of the sport to new heights. He set major league records for single season and career home runs ( 60 and 714) that stood for generations. Ruth is probably the biggest icon in the history of American professional sports.
3. Bob Gibson – the big Cardinals’ right-hander dominated the game in the 1960s, and his contribution to changing baseball can be summed up in the 1968 season, known as the “Year of The Pitcher”. Gibson set an all-time standard by recording a 1.12 ERA and his dominance was directly responsible for baseball making significant rule changes for the following season – lowering the pitcher’s mound and tightening up the hitter’s strike zone.
4. Ichiro Suzuki – there were a couple of Oriental players who played in the major leagues prior to Ichiro’s arrival, but none had the impact that he had in paving the way for the influx of Asians into the game as he did. He was the first Japanese-born every day positional player in the majors, and was an instant all star, sending GMs searching for the “next” Ichiro throughout Japan, Korea, etc.
5. Curt Flood – he had a decent major league career, playing 15 seasons, mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals. But he made his biggest impact on the game when, after the 1969 season, he challenged baseball’s “reserve clause” system by refusing to be traded to the Phillies. His challenge was ultimately unsuccessful, but it brought the players together in solidarity to eventually fight and break down the system, resulting in the free agency today’s players enjoy. Flood is mostly remembered for his role in baseball’s labor history, but his playing career, which included 7 Gold Gloves for fielding excellence, 3 all-star selections and 2 World Series rings, is also worth noting.
