After baseball's color line was broken in 1947, Irvin was one of the first black players signed by the Giants. He could run, throw, field, hit, and hit with power, all brilliantly. He earned 16 letters and all-state honors in four sports at East Orange (N.J.) High School. His outstanding athletic career was almost prematurely ended in 1938 when he scratched his hand in a basketball game; the resulting infection kept him near death for seven weeks. He recovered and returned to the Orange Triangles, a semi-pro team that he had joined in 1932. He began playing for the Newark Eagles on weekends under the name "Jimmy Nelson" to protect his amateur standing, a practice he continued while attending Lincoln University.
In 1951, Irvin sparked the Giants' miraculous comeback to overtake the Brooklyn Dodgers in one of the most dramatic pennant races in Major League history, ending with Bobby Thompson's legendary home run off Ralph Branca. During that memorable season, Irvin hit .312 with 24 home runs and led the National League with 121 RBIs. His World Series numbers against the Yankees that season were even more impressive as he hit a whopping .458 (11-for-24). He stole home off Yankee pitcher Albie Reynolds in Game 2 of the 1951 Fall Classic. Irvin finished third in the N.L. MVP voting in '51 and was named to the National League All-Star team the following year.
While with the Giants, Irvin, a left fielder, teamed with Hank Thompson and Willie Mays to form the first all-black outfield in Major League history.
Irvin's career statistics included a .293 batting average with 99 home runs, 443 RBIs, 366 runs scored, 731 hits, 97 doubles, 31 triples, and 28 stolen bases. He walked 351 times for an on-base percentage of .383, to go along with 1,187 total bases and finished with a .475 slugging average in 764 career games.
Irvin wrote his autobiography, Nice Guys Finish First, in 1996. He currently resides in Homosassa, Florida.
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