by Mark Langill
In contrast to the turbulent atmosphere of his 1947 Rookie of the Year season, while breaking racial barriers in a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson spent his final chapter in a unique and tranquil atmosphere he never expected.
A 19-game postseason exhibition tour of Japan gave Robinson a working vacation with his soon-to-be former Brooklyn teammates. Robinson’s wife, Rachel, joined several other Dodger spouses and club officials on a five-week trip that included sightseeing tours for those not attending ballgames on a particular day.
“What was unusual about Jack in Japan was that he tried new things eagerly, which was not always the case at home,” Rachel Robinson said in an interview with Arnold Rampersad, author of the 1997 biography Jackie Robinson. “There he was, dressing up in kimonos, trying gamely to eat all kinds of unfamiliar food.
“I think he saw the tour of Japan as the culmination of his Dodger career, especially after the World Series victory the year before. I think he knew the end was in sight.”
At age 37 in 1956, Robinson slashed .275/.382/.412/.793 in 117 games with Brooklyn during the regular season with 10 home runs, 43 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 17 attempts. Robinson also played four different positions: third base (72 games), second base (22), first base (9) and left field (2).
Robinson’s final hit in the Major Leagues was a walk-off single in the 10th inning of World Series Game 6 at Ebbets Field that capped pitcher Clem Labine’s complete-game shutout and 1–0 victory. The defending champion Dodgers lost their crown in Game 7 when the Yankees posted a 9–0 victory.
Robinson played in 18 of 19 games against a collection of Japanese All-Star teams, batting .327 (16-for-49) with two home runs and nine RBI. He was even ejected from a game in Hiroshima for telling veteran National League umpire Jocko Conlan that he was out of position to call a play.
Robinson homered in his second-to-last game on Nov. 12, a 420-foot shot off lefty Shoichi Kaneda in the second inning of a 10–2 victory at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo. In the Nov. 13 tour finale in Fukuoka, a 3–1 victory gave Brooklyn an overall 14–4–1 record. The game was tied 1–1 entering the ninth inning when Robinson and Don Demeter hit RBI singles.
Robinson eventually decided to give up baseball and join the New York-based coffee company Chock full o’Nuts as vice president of personnel. Before announcing his retirement, the Dodgers traded Robinson to the New York Giants on Dec. 13 for $30,000 and pitcher Dick Littlefield.
Robinson waited to announce his retirement until Look Magazine published its exclusive story, an arrangement made with the player two years earlier as part of a three-part series on his career. Robinson said he looked forward to joining Giants if he remained a player in 1957. When the news broke of his decision, he assured the Giants and team president Horace Stoneham that his retirement was not because of the trade.
Japan 1956 tour was Jackie Robinson’s last hurrah with Brooklyn Dodgers was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.