MLB stars say it's time to pull Landis name off MVP plaques

FILE - In this Oct. 1, 1941, file photo, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, baseball commissioner, throws out the first ball, formally opening the 1941 World Series featuring the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York on Oct. 1, 1941. New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia is at right. Landis' name and image are on the National League and American League Most Valuable Player trophies. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2006, file photo,a Joe DiMaggio 1947 MVP Award Plaque is displayed at a news conference in New York. The plaque features the name and image of Kenesaw Mountain Landis. (AP Photo/Jennifer Szymaszek, File)

FILE - In this April 8, 2017, file photo, Atlanta Braves bench coach Terry Pendleton sits in the dugout before a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh. Baseball's MVP trophy is engraved with the name of Kenesaw Mountain Landis in large letters. Landis was baseball's first commissioner and there were no Black players in the majors during his reign from 1920 until his death in 1944. “I’ve always thought about that, why is that still on there?” Pendleton said. “No doubt, MVP stands on its own. It doesn’t need a name.” (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - In this July 14, 2015, file photo, Barry Larkin is introduced before the MLB All-Star baseball game in Cincinnati. Something still bothers Barry Larkin about his Most Valuable Player award. The other name engraved on the trophy: Kenesaw Mountain Landis. “Why is it on there?” said Larkin, the Black shortstop voted National League MVP in 1995 with the Cincinnati Reds.(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

FILE - In this 1938 file photo, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, baseball's first commissioner, is shown at age 78. The legacy of Landis is "always a complicated story" that includes "documented racism," official MLB historian John Thorn said. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this April 11, 2019, file photo, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, left, presents right fielder Mookie Betts with the 2018 AL MVP Award before a baseball game between the Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park in Boston. The award includes the name and image of Kenesaw Mountain Landis. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)

FILE - In this July 28, 2004, file photo, Cincinnati Reds' Barry Larkin takes a curtain call after hitting a pinch-hit grand slam off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Steve Kline in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Cincinnati. From the time Larkin collected the 1995 National League Most Valuable Player award, something about the prize bothered him. "I was made aware that Kenesaw Mountain Landis' name was on it and there was this question: Why is it on there?" Larkin said this week. (AP Photo/David Kohl, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2008, file photo, a statue of Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt stands outside Citizens Bank Park as a passer-by holding an umbrella is reflected in the rain in Philadelphia. "If you're looking to expose individuals in baseball's history who promoted racism by continuing to close baseball's doors to men of color, Kenesaw Landis would be a candidate," three-time NL MVP Schmidt said. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 23, 1945, file photo, Jackie Robinson, first Negro player in the major leagues, signs with the Montreal Royals in Montreal. From left are: Royals president Hector Racine, Branch Rickey Jr., Robinson and Royals vice-president Romeo Gauvreau. Baseball's MVP award is engraved with the name of Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first baseball commissioner. No Blacks played in the majors during his quarter-century tenure; Jackie Robinson broke the barrier about 2 1/2 years after Landis died. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - This March 1, 2012, file photo shows Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. “If you’re looking to expose individuals in baseball’s history who promoted racism by continuing to close baseball’s doors to men of color, Kenesaw Landis would be a candidate,” three-time NL MVP Mike Schmidt of Philadelphia said. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 1992, file photo, Atlanta Braves' Terry Pendleton watches an RBI double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series in Toronto. "I've always thought about that, why is that still on there?" Pendleton said, speaking of Kenesaw Mountain Landis' name on the MVP trophy. "No doubt, MVP stands on its own. It doesn't need a name." (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2006, file photo,a Joe DiMaggio 1947 MVP Award Plaque is displayed at a news conference in New York. The plaque features the name and image of Kenesaw Mountain Landis. (AP Photo/Jennifer Szymaszek, File)