51 years ago, Buck O’Neil took his last swing at pitch in a professional baseball game. Swinging a bat must be like riding a bike because O’Neil returned to the plate during the Northern League All-Star Game, becoming the oldest player – 94 years old – to ever play a professional baseball game.
O’Neil, who last played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, was the first black coach in the majors. Fast forward to Tuesday’s all-star game, O’Neil signed a one-day contract with the Kansas City T-Bones but was later traded to the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks and lead off the game with a walk. Almost all of the 5,975 fans in attendance cheered as he strolled to first base.