Yes.

While on the Brooklyn Dodgers, baseball star Jackie Robinson played against the Fort Worth Cats in a 1948 exhibition game at LaGrave Field near downtown Fort Worth.

Once known as the Panthers, the Cats operated between 1888 and 1964 as a minor league franchise that hosted visiting major league players like Robinson, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. The team was revived in 2001 before shutting down again in 2014. 

LaGrave Field opened in 1926, welcoming up to 12,000 spectators. Attempts to bring the team back and revitalize the ballpark failed in 2020. 

LaGrave is located on the future Panther Island, a man-made island that will be created when the federal government reroutes part of the Trinity River over the next decade. The Tarrant Regional Water District owns the field and will determine whether the property remains a sports facility or is sold to a developer. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one. 

Sources

UTA Libraries Digital Gallery Item: Jackie Robinson #42 of Brooklyn Dodgers runs for a base during an exhibition game between the Fort Worth Cats and Brooklyn Dodgers at LaGrave Field, Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth Magazine Rise of the Panthers, Fall of the Cats: A History of Fort Worth’s Iconic Baseball Team

FTWtoday A grave history for LaGrave Field 

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The Fort Worth Cats were supposed to be playing ball at LaGrave soon. What happened?

Fort Worth Report Panther Island leaders address plans for LaGrave Field, public space

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Fact brief: Did Jackie Robinson play at Fort Worth’s historic LaGrave Field?

by Haley Samsel, Fort Worth Report
February 5, 2024

<h1>Fact brief: Did Jackie Robinson play at Fort Worth’s historic LaGrave Field?</h1> <p class="byline">by Haley Samsel, Fort Worth Report <br />February 5, 2024</p> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column"> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Yes.</h2> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized"><img src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Fact-Brief-Logo2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-97375" style="width:175px;height:auto" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <p>While on the Brooklyn Dodgers, baseball star Jackie Robinson played against the Fort Worth Cats in a 1948 exhibition game at LaGrave Field near downtown Fort Worth.</p> <p>Once known as the Panthers, the Cats operated between 1888 and 1964 as a minor league franchise that hosted visiting major league players like Robinson, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. The team was revived in 2001 before shutting down again in 2014.&nbsp;</p> <p>LaGrave Field opened in 1926, welcoming up to 12,000 spectators. Attempts to bring the team back and revitalize the ballpark failed in 2020.&nbsp;</p> <p>LaGrave is located on the future <a href="https://fortworthreport.org/2023/12/04/panther-island-leaders-address-plans-for-la-grave-field-public-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Panther Island</a>, a man-made island that will be created when the federal government reroutes part of the Trinity River over the next decade. The Tarrant Regional Water District owns the field and will determine whether the property remains a sports facility or is sold to a developer.&nbsp;</p> <p>This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as <strong>this <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/FortWorth/comments/1afm57g/jackie_robinson_runs_the_bases_at_la_grave_field/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one</a>.</strong>&nbsp;</p> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column"> <p class="has-text-align-left has-normal-font-size"><em>Fort Worth Report partners with&nbsp;<a href="https://gigafact.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gigafact</a>&nbsp;to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.&nbsp;Read our <a href="https://fortworthreport.org/how-fort-worth-report-checks-claims-for-its-gigafact-fact-briefs/">methodology</a>&nbsp;to learn how we check claims.</em></p> </p></div> </p></div> <p><strong>Sources</strong></p> <p>UTA Libraries Digital Gallery <a href="https://library.uta.edu/digitalgallery/img/10007483">Item: Jackie Robinson #42 of Brooklyn Dodgers runs for a base during an exhibition game between the Fort Worth Cats and Brooklyn Dodgers at LaGrave Field, Fort Worth, Texas</a></p> <p>Fort Worth Magazine <a href="https://fwtx.com/culture/rise-of-the-panthers-fall-of-the-cats/">Rise of the Panthers, Fall of the Cats: A History of Fort Worth’s Iconic Baseball Team</a></p> <p>FTWtoday <a href="https://ftwtoday.6amcity.com/lagrave-field-history-fort-worth-tx">A grave history for LaGrave Field&nbsp;</a></p> <p>Fort Worth Star-Telegram <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article246498820.html#storylink=cpy">The Fort Worth Cats were supposed to be playing ball at LaGrave soon. What happened?</a></p> <p>Fort Worth Report <a href="https://fortworthreport.org/2023/12/04/panther-island-leaders-address-plans-for-la-grave-field-public-space/">Panther Island leaders address plans for LaGrave Field, public space</a></p> <div class="wp-block-columns is-style-default"> <div class="wp-block-column"> <p><em><strong>Let us know what you want fact-checked by <a href="https://gigafact.org/tipline?org_id=4113&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=fort-worth-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">submitting a tip</a>! </strong>Please note that claims that are partially true or false cannot be checked. In addition, we are unable to check claims for which there are no credible, available sources to verify or dispute them.</em></p> </p></div> </p></div> <div style="height:18px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left">Test your knowledge with a news quiz!</h2> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org/2024/02/05/fact-brief-did-jackie-robinson-play-at-fort-worths-historic-lagrave-field/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org">Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=105920" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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