On April 22 , 1947 , during a game between the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies , Phillies players called Robinson a `` nigger '' from their dugout . They yelled that he should `` go back to the cotton fields '' . On April 22 , 1947 , during a game between the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies , Phillies players called Robinson a `` nigger '' from their dugout and yelled that he should `` go back to the cotton fields '' .