On Jackie Robinson Day, Cora wants to play right way
BOSTON — On April 15, 76 years ago, Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he made his major league debut with the then-Brooklyn Dodgers.
Ten years ago on the same day, two terrorists detonated bombs by the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, killing three and injuring hundreds.
The two watershed moments shaped Saturday’s game from start to finish. A special pre-game ceremony commemorated both anniversaries, and special guests will be in attendance throughout the weekend and Marathon Monday’s 11:10 a.m. game.
During batting practice, members of the Red Sox and Angels wore special ‘Breaking
Barriers’ T-shirts. For the game, all players and on-field personnel around the league donned No. 42 jerseys. Robinson’s number was officially retired in 1997, on the 50th anniversary of his barrier-breaking debut.
For Red Sox manager Alex Cora, the day carries special meaning because of the time he spent with Robinson’s family during his years playing on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“(His daughter) Sharon was around, (wife) Rachel was around,” the former infielder recalled. “This is a day that, not only for minorities, which I think is making it more special. Everybody’s involved in this now, you know? And the fact that everybody’s wearing 42, I think when it started, not everybody did, right? It was if you wanted to. There were probably a handful of us, that we did, and now everybody’s wearing it.”
At the time of the league-wide retirement, players who were already wearing Robinson’s number were allowed to continue doing so until they retired; by Mariano Rivera’s final season in 2013, he was the last man standing. This is the15th consecutive year the entire league is wearing No. 42, with the jerseys being auctioned off later, to benefit the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
“It’s a special day,” Cora said with a smile. “Hopefully, today we can represent him on the field the right way, right? Hit a ground ball, bust your ass to first, and play the game right.”
Asked if he’d like to see the league give the same treatment to Roberto Clemente’s No. 21, Cora admitted that he’s “asked about that” in the past. He explained the response he received, and added a diplomatic message of his own.
“The answer is like, one of the most prestigious awards in baseball is the Roberto Clemente Award, and that’s how we are, you know, keeping his legacy. As you guys know, for me, it’s not about wearing No. 21, it’s what we do in Puerto Rico,” the Caguas, Puerto Rico native said. “But if it happens, it’ll be great.”
Injury updates: Masataka Yoshida wasn’t in Saturday’s lineup, but will be back on Sunday as the designated hitter, Cora said. Yoshida has sat for the last few days due to a hamstring ailment, but will be back in the outfield on Monday.
“We just want to make sure that this is not something that we play him and then he feels it again and then we lose him for a while,” the manager explained.
Given how many injuries the team sustained last season, better safe than sorry.
Zack Kelly’s MRI came back clean for elbow ligament damage, but says the results are incongruent with the pain he continues to experience.