High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! On April 15, Jackie Robinson was the opening day first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first black player in Major League Baseball since 1884. Robinson went on to bat .297, score 125 runs, steal 29 bases and be named the very first Rookie of the Year. The Dodgers won the National League title and went on to lose to the New York Yankees in the 1947 World Series.