Monte Irvin

CTL-E-6955 · Person · other · 1919–2016

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07827 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-6955.

Monford Merrill 'Monte' Irvin (February 25, 1919, Haleburg, Alabama – January 11, 2016) was an outfielder whose career bridged the Negro Leagues and the integrated major leagues. Raised in Orange, New Jersey, he debuted with the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League in 1938, won Negro League batting championships, and — after Army service in World War II — led the Eagles to the 1946 Negro League World Series title. Signed by the New York Giants after the 1948 season, he debuted in the National League on July 8, 1949 — the Giants' first Black player, a distinction the Hall of Fame states of his January 28, 1949 signing alongside pitcher Ford Smith. His best major-league season came in 1951, when he hit .312 with 24 home runs and a league-best 121 RBI, powered the Giants' comeback to the pennant, batted .458 in the World Series, and finished third in the MVP voting. He later worked in the Commissioner's office. Irvin was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, the fourth player chosen by the Special Committee on Negro Leagues.

The record

• Also known as: Monford Merrill Irvin

Notes

Sports Encyclopedia roster CTL-SPE-0254. Firsts disposition: ASSERTED AS SOURCED AND QUALIFIED — Irvin as the Giants' first Black player is stated exactly as the Hall of Fame states it: he and pitcher Ford Smith, who signed the same day (January 28, 1949), were the first Black players to join the Giants; the New Jersey Hall of Fame states the July 1949 breaking-in form. No broader 'first' is claimed; Irvin did not break baseball's color line and the record does not say so. Hall of Fame election 1973 verified (Hall, two accounts; NJ Hall of Fame). BLOCKED EDGE: Monte Irvin played_for New York Giants — the Giants are NOT homed in the build graph, so no edge is wired; likewise Newark Eagles are unhomed. Curator's Judgment (DRAFT): Irvin is the bridge figure of this lane — a Negro Leagues batting champion whose 1951 season proved, in the integrated majors and on the record, what the color line had hidden. Photo: CLEARED — Monte Irvin 1953.jpg, Public domain (Bowman Gum); the Commons file description identifies the subject as New York Giants outfielder Monte Irvin.

Sources

• National Baseball Hall of Fame. "Irvin earns immortality with Hall of Fame election." Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• National Baseball Hall of Fame. "Monte Irvin proved his greatness in National League." Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• New Jersey Hall of Fame. "Monte Irvin" (Class of 2021: Sports). Accessed 2026-11-03. (build store)

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Record CTL-E-6955 · Combined Graph record U-07827 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 3 sources.
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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

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