Complex sentence: Red Sox historians often point to Yawkey and Higgins when they discuss the club's reputation for resisting racial integration; they were the last of the then-16 major league teams to play an African American.
Split into simpler sentences: Red Sox historians often single out Yawkey and Higgins when they discuss the club's reputation for resisting racial integration. The Red Sox were the last of the then-16 major league teams to play an African American.