Phillies honor John Irvin Kennedy, the team’s first African American player in 1957

Sixty-five years after he made history as the Phillies’ first African American player, the team honored the life of John Irvin Kennedy on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. It was the Phillies’ first public celebration of Kennedy, who played in only five games with two at-bats in 1957 before the team sent him down to the minors and released him in 1960.

Kennedy died in 1998. His daughter, Tazena, and her three children and five grandchildren were in attendance. Kennedy’s 11-year-old great-grandson, Elijah Cooper, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Like his great-grandfather, Elijah also plays baseball, in his local Little League in Jacksonville, Fla.

The event coincided with the Phillies’ African American heritage celebration on Wednesday night. Before the on-field ceremony, Tazena and her family visited a new display to commemorate John Irvin Kennedy in the Hall of Fame level at Citizens Bank Park. It was an emotional moment for Tazena, who has dedicated her life to sharing the story of her father.

» READ MORE: John Irvin Kennedy dreamed of being the Phillies' Jackie Robinson. He never got the chance.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she told The Inquirer last week. “I wish he was here to experience all of this, but I’m glad it’s happening. So that people will know that he’s a part of history. Even though it was short-lived, for whatever their reasoning was, he made it. For him to have been a Black player during that time, you had to be extraordinary, beyond extraordinary, to make it to the major leagues.”