{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-booker-celebrate-senate-passage-of_larry-doby-congressional-gold-medal-act", "Menendez, Booker Celebrate Senate Passage of Larry Doby Congressional Gold Medal Act", "2018-12-06", "2018", "2018-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Robert Menendez", "M000639", "www.menendez.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Menendez, Booker Celebrate Senate Passage of Larry Doby Congressional Gold Medal Act \n\t\t\t\n\t Menendez, Booker Celebrate Senate Passage of Larry Doby Congressional Gold Medal Act \n\t\n\t\t The Legislation Heads to President's Desk to be Signed \n\t\n\t\n\tThursday, December 6, 2018\n\t\n\t  WASHINGTON, D.C- U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) today praised the Senate's passage of legislation they introduced to honor Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League, with the Congressional Gold Medal to recognize his career and historic contributions to our country. Doby grew up in Paterson, New Jersey.\r\nThe legislation passed the U.S. House in July, and moves to the President's Desk to be signed.\r\nLarry Doby made lasting and significant contributions to sports and our society at a time when African-Americans were socially excluded, marginalized, and segregated,said Booker.It's important that we honor this activist and athlete for both breaking barriers in professional baseball and his commitment to the greater cause of advancing equality and civil rights.\r\nToday's final passage means New Jersey baseball legend Larry Doby's life and legacy will finally be honored with a Congressional Gold Medal, said Sen. Menendez. It's a fitting tribute to a man whose tenacity and spirit helped him overcome immense adversity to shape the course of our nation's civil rights movement and change America's pastime. Larry Doby left an indelible mark on our nation's history and continues to inspire future generations.\r\nLawrence Eugene Larry Doby joined the Cleveland Indians in July 1947, becoming the first African-American to play in the American League. During his 13-year career in the American League, Doby tallied 1,533 games, batting .283, with 253 home runs and 970 runs batted in. He played in two World Series, leading the 1948 Cleveland Indians to a World Championship over the Boston Braves. He was the first African-American player to hit a home run in a World Series game, led the American League in home runs twice, and was voted to seven All-Star teams.\r\nIn 1978, the Chicago White Sox hired Doby as their manager and he became the second African-American manager in Major League history. He later served as Director of Community Relations for the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association. He was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2013.\r\nDoby was born in Camden, South Carolina in 1923 and moved to Paterson, New Jersey in 1938, where he became a standout athlete at Paterson Eastside High School. He attended Long Island University on a basketball scholarship before enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was discharged in 1946 and went on to play baseball in the Negro National League for the Newark Eagles. Doby passed away in 2003.\r\nThe Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow. Previous recipients include Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Elie Wiesel, Robert F. Kennedy, Walt Disney, Robert Frost, Wright Brothers, Major General Andrew Jackson, Major Henry Lee, Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Jackie Robinson.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-booker-celebrate-senate-passage-of_larry-doby-congressional-gold-medal-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5045469626784325, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}