1959 elijah jerry pumpsie green becomes the first african ameri 07 21
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1959 67 years ago Historical Events July 21 6 sources

Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

On July 21, in the year 1959, Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of July 21, one of 430 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder who played with the Boston Red Sox (1959–62) and New York Mets (1963). A switch-hitter who threw right-handed, he was listed as 6 ft (1.83 m) tall and 175 lb (79 kg).

Key Facts

  • This event took place on July 21, 1959 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 6 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 9 December 2025.

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Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (born 1961)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Lettice Curtis, English engineer and pilot (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Hans-Peter Kaul, German lawyer and judge (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Rilwanu Lukman, Nigerian engineer and politician (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Kevin Skinner, New Zealand rugby player and boxer (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 21 Andrea Antonelli, Italian motorcycle racer (born 1988)
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Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 21 Det de Beus, Dutch field hockey player (born 1958)
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Historical Events 2012 Jul 21 Erden Eruç completes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world.
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 Alexander Cockburn, Scottish-American journalist and author (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 Marie Kruckel, American baseball player (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 Ali Podrimja, Albanian poet and author (born 1942)
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This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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