Carlos Paula was not snow white. He was Black, with the body of a prizefighter: 6-foot-2, with broad shoulders, and sculpted chest and arms.

In 1954, the Senators had not yet integrated. The press anticipated the Senators’ color line would be broken in 1954, but not by Paula; Cuban Angel Scull, the Sporting News reported, was “assured of an outfield berth and will be the first Negro ever to play for the Nats.” Topps even included a baseball card of Scull in its 1954 set in anticipation of his Major League debut.

But in camp, Paula began to turn heads. Sportswriter Shirley Povich, who sent daily dispatches to the Post from camp, wrote that Paula “fingers the bat like a toothpick” and that he played center field “as if he belonged.” Even Bucky Harris warmed up to the prospect, saying, “He can whack that ball. He has that size, and he gets some beautiful extra leverage into his swing. And he isn’t simply fast for a big man. He’s fast for a man of any size.”