Major League Totals: 7 Yrs.

355

814

106

211

45

4

24

125

5

.259

Of all the Great Major League Players out there, why are we reading about this Shotgun guy, his stats were mediocre at best? 

Well, I'm glad you asked because there is one stat that we have left out, let's discuss.   Mr. George "Shotgun" Shuba has two claims to fame as it relates to Major League Baseball.  First, Shotgun was the first National League Player to hit a pinch-hit home run in a World Series Game.

Second, and perhaps the most unknown acts of greatness came in the form of a Handshake, a simple act of kindness.  

While standing in the on-deck circle during a Montreal Royals (Brooklyn Dodger's minor league affiliate) game in 1946, Shotgun offered a congratulatory handshake to a teammate after that  player hit a homerun.   That player was Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player to play in the majors.   Back then, it wasn't "cool" to shake the hand of an African American man,  let alone an African American man who was taking a spot away from "someone like us".    During the 1940s this was how it was, but kids, it never made it right.  It would have been easier for Shotgun "not" to shake Jackie Robinson's hand that day as the vast majority of fans at the stadium may have preferred that he didn't.  Although for some reason Shotgun had no hesitation when he approached Jackie Robinson after the homerun, he simply stated years later "In my eyes, it was the right thing to do".  The moment was captured in the well- known photograph captured above. To the shock of many teammates, the 25,000 fans and perhaps to Mr. Jackie Robinson himself, George "Shotgun" Shuba had broken the color barrier.

Robinson had been afraid, Shuba said, that none of his teammates would shake his hand after he'd broken baseball's color barrier. For Shuba, it was only natural — he saw no difference between himself and Robinson"  Shotgun was quoted as saying "I said, 'Are you on our team? Are you on our side? OK then.' "