occupation ed kent
Weldy Wilberforce Walker ( July 27 , 1860  November 23 , 1937 ), sometimes known as Welday Walker and W . W . Walker , was an American ___MASK92___ . In 1884 , he became the second African American to play Major League Baseball . Edward C . `` Ed '' Kent was a ___MASK24___ League Baseball pitcher who played from 1884 with the Toledo Blue Stockings . He batted and threw right - handed . Kent was born in 1859 in New York , and it is unknown when and where Kent died . The Toledo Blue Stockings formed as a minor league baseball team in Toledo , Ohio in 1883 . They won the Northwestern League championship in 1883 . Their home ballpark was League Park . The following year , they joined the ___MASK24___ league American Association . That year , they finished 8th with a 46 - 58 record . The team returned to the minors the next year and disbanded after the 1885 season . Historically , the team is best known for being the only ___MASK24___ league team with black players ( Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother , Weldy Walker ) ___MASK54___ to Jackie Robinson ' s appearance with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 . At the end of each ___MASK24___ League Baseball season , the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced . Leading the league in a particular category is referred to as a " title ". In baseball ( hardball or softball ), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the ___MASK13___ for each team . A pitcher is credited with a ___MASK13___ started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent ' s first batter of a ___MASK13___ . A pitcher who enters the ___MASK13___ after the first pitch of the ___MASK13___ is a relief pitcher . Starting pitchers are expected to pitch for a significant portion of the ___MASK13___ , although their ability to do this depends on many factors , including effectiveness , stamina , health , and strategy . Jack Roosevelt " Jackie " Robinson ( January 31 , 1919  October 24 , 1972 ) was an American professional baseball second baseman who became the first African American to play in ___MASK24___ League Baseball ( MLB ) in the modern era . Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15 , 1947 . The Dodgers , by signing Robinson , heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s . Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 . Moses Fleetwood " Fleet " Walker ( October 7 , 1856May 11 , 1924 ) was an American ___MASK92___ , inventor , and author . He is credited by some with being the first African American to play Major League Baseball . Walker played one season as the catcher of the Toledo Blue Stockings , a club in the American Association . He then played in the minor leagues , until 1889 , when professional baseball erected a color barrier , that stood for nearly 60 years , until the game was once again integrated , with the rise of Jackie Robinson , in 1947 , which brought an end to the segregated Negro Leagues . After leaving baseball , Walker became a businessman and advocate of Black nationalism . In baseball and softball , a ___MASK12___ or reliever is a pitcher who enters the ___MASK13___ after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury , ineffectiveness , fatigue , ejection , or for other strategic reasons , such as being substituted by a pinch hitter . Relief pitchers are further divided informally into various roles , such as closers , set - up relief pitchers , middle relief pitchers , left / right - handed specialists , and long relievers . Whereas starting pitchers usually rest several days before pitching in a ___MASK13___ again due to the number of pitches thrown , relief pitchers are expected to be more flexible and typically pitch more games but with fewer innings pitched . A team ' s staff of relievers is normally referred to metonymically as a team ' s bullpen , which refers to the area where the relievers sit during games , and where they warm - up ___MASK54___ to entering the ___MASK13___ . Baseball is a bat - and - ball ___MASK13___ played between two teams of nine players each , who take turns batting and fielding . In baseball , the pitcher is the player who throws the baseball from the pitcher ' s mound toward the catcher to begin each play , with the goal of retiring a batter , who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk . In the numbering system used to record defensive plays , the pitcher is assigned the number 1 . The pitcher is often considered the most important defensive player , and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum . There are many different types of pitchers , such as the starting pitcher , ___MASK12___ , middle reliever , lefty specialist , setup man , and closer . Toledo is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County , Ohio , United States . Toledo is in northwest Ohio , at the western end of Lake Erie bordering the state of Michigan . The city was founded by United States citizens in 1833 on the west ___MASK59___ of the Maumee River , and originally incorporated as part of Monroe County , Michigan Territory . It was re - founded in 1837 , after conclusion of the Toledo War , when it was incorporated in Ohio . Catcher is a position for a baseball or ___MASK49___ . When a batter takes his / her turn to hit , the catcher crouches behind home plate , in front of the ( home ) umpire , and receives the ball from the pitcher . In addition to this primary duty , the catcher is also called upon to ___MASK50___ many other skills in order to field the position well . The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket - keeper in cricket .