Giant moves in New York

Monte Irvin

The New York Giants sign their first Black players 75 years ago today with outfielder Monte Irvin and pitcher Ford Smith.

The 29-year-old Irvin joins the Giants after playing all or parts of 10 seasons with the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League.

Ford, 30 at the time, comes over to the Giants after starring for three seasons with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League. Might star for seven seasons with the Monarchs if not for serving four years in the military during World War II.

Both start the 1949 season with the Giants’ Class AAA team in Jersey City, where Irvin posts a .373 batting average in 63 games with 18 doubles, nine homers and 52 runs batted in.

Smith has moderate success that season in Jersey City, winning 10 of 18 decisions with a 4.15 earned-run average.

Ford Smith

Irvin finishes the 1949 season in the majors, making his debut with the Giants on July 8 in a 4-3 loss to the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

Irvin, along with infielder Hank Thompson, become the Giants’ first Black players in the majors in that game.

Thompson leads off, plays second base and goes 0-for-3 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt, while Irvin appears as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and draws a walk.

After batting .337 in his decade with Newark in the Negro National League, Irvin hits .296 in seven seasons with the Giants and then .271 for the 1956 Chicago Cubs in his eighth and final season in the major leagues.

Irvin eventually is inducted into the Hall of Fame, Class of 1973.

Smith is not as fortunate.

After winning 10 games in 1949 for Class AAA Jersey City, Smith in 1950 is limited to 45 innings over 12 appearances for Jersey City before drifting off to the Class C leagues for another four seasons before retiring in 1954 at the age of 35.