Jackie Robinson Day Something That Baseball Does Right Every Year
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It was 75 years ago that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, and the event is being commemorated once again on April 15 all across the major leagues.
The Tampa Bay Rays are in Chicago on Friday night to take on the White Sox, and every Rays player will be wearing a gray No. 42 jersey on this anniversary day.
Baseball has been doing this for years. They retired Robinson's number throughout baseball in 1997 — though the players who were wearing the number at the time, most notably Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees — continued to wear it. They dedicated April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day in 2004 and players have all been wearing the No. 42 jerseys since 2009.
It's something that matters. And always will.
"It's very cool. MLB gets a lot of these initiatives right, and the added element of putting in the Dodger blue, everybody in the locker room commented on it, and I thought the socks were awesome, with an image of Jackie. I don't know how they did that,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said before Friday's game.
"Other people have spoken way better than I have on the impact he's had on our game, but it certainly is an honor to represent him and what he did for baseball.''
Pitching plans for Sunday still undecided
The Rays gave Drew Rasmussen and Corey Kluber and extra day for their starts on Friday and and Saturday here in Chicago, but Cash said he's still not sure what's going to happen on Sunday in the series finale against the White Sox.
Luis Patino, the Rays' fourth starter, lasted only 13 pitches last Monday, and left with an oblique strain that's put him on the 60-day injured list. Fifth starter Ryan Yarbrough, who's on the 10-day IL, can come off the list on Monday. So Cash said that Tommy Romero will pitch on Sunday, more than likely, but he's not sure in what capacity.
"It's his day to pitch, but I don't know if we'll go with an opener first or not,'' Cash said.
Yarbrough didn't travel with the team, but since the Rays stay in Chicago to play the Cubs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Cash said Yarbrough might be ready to pitch before they leave town.
The Rays have several pitchers out already in this first week of the season, but they will remain patient in dealing with all of them. It's too long of a season to push anyone to quickly.
"As bad as we want all these guys back, I don't know if there's ever a good time to have a rash of injuries come through, but if you had to pick one, it might be now, early in the season,'' Cash said. "I don't know if it guarantees we're going to be healthier later, but if it does, I'll sign up for that.''
Rasmussen threw 64 pitches in his debut last Saturday, and said he felt good afterward. He knew about the extra day early too, and he appreciated that extra time to fully recover. A work load in the 80s probably is reasonable, depending on how the night goes.
"I think all the guys, we'll start seeing them get built up a little more,'' Cash said. "Barring the 30-pitch inning that might derail that plan, we'll see them all throw more pitches.''
Kluber, who starts Saturday against Chicago's Michael Kopech, threw 87 pitches in his first start last Sunday.
Related stories on Rays baseball
- HOW TO WATCH FRIDAY'S GAME: There is no local TV for Friday night's game, as it's carried only on Apple TV+ It's free to watch, but it does require signing up with an Apple ID. Here's how to do it, plus all the other pregame notes, including starting lineups. CLICK HERE
- RAYS LOSE SERIES FINALE TO A'S: Randy Arozarena made an error in the outfield and Manuel Margot made a base-running blunder that took away the chance for a big inning, rare mistakes that don't normally happen with the Tampa Bay Rays. The big plays led to a 6-3 loss to Oakland on Thursday afternoon. CLICK HERE
Related stories on Apple TV+
- Apple signs Friday night deal with MLB. CLICK HERE
- Apple announces broadcast crews. CLICK HERE
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.