Isn’t it funny how history has a way of coming full circle?
Fifty years after Frank Robinson shattered baseball’s managerial color barrier in Cleveland, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is honoring four trailblazing inductees in its 2025 Hall of Game to celebrate the legacy of Black leadership in America’s pastime.
In 1975, Frank Robinson became baseball’s first Black manager, opening the door for the extraordinary careers that would follow. Today, the museum is honoring four of those leaders: Dusty Baker, Cito Gaston, Willie Randolph, and Jerry Manuel, who make up the 2025 Hall of Game class. MLB executive Tony Reagins will also be recognized with the inaugural JL Wilkinson “Innovator” Award.
“It is my distinct honor to welcome Dusty Baker, Cito Gaston, Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s Hall of Game and to award Tony Reagins with the JL Wilkinson Innovator Award,” said Bob Kendrick President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
“They embody the winning spirit and leadership of the Negro Leagues, through their on and off-field endeavors. They are all leaders and innovators who have continued to move the great game of baseball forward while embracing the greats of Black baseball’s past.”
The ceremony is set for Saturday, October 4, at the Sheraton Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, where the museum has called home since the early 1990s. Launched in 2014, the Hall of Game honors former Major League Baseball greats who played the game in the spirit and style that made Negro Leagues Baseball a fan favorite.
If you’ve never been to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, consider it a must add to your Black history bucket list. A testament of why me must preserve our legacy and history, The Negro Leagues were established in 1920 by Andrew “Rube” Foster in a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA, located two blocks from the Museums at 18th & Vine. It began as a small one-room office and has grown into a nationally recognized institution that houses extensive collections documenting the struggles and triumphs of Black baseball.
This year’s celebration connects to the museum’s current exhibition, “Leaders and Innovators,” which runs through March 2026. The display shows how Negro Leagues managers developed innovative strategies out of necessity, often with limited resources but unlimited creativity. Many had the skills to manage at the highest level but were denied opportunities due to segregation.