Robinson gets statue at Dodger Stadium
On the day every majorleague player will wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, the late Hall of Famer will also be the first to be honored with a statue at Dodger Stadium.
It will be unveiled Saturday, the 70th anniversary of his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The 6-foot-5 bronze statue, by Oakland sculptor Branly Cadet, depicts Robinson as a rookie in 1947 sliding into home plate, a nod to his aggressive baserunning. It weighs 700 pounds.
The statue stands in the left field reserve plaza, where there are views of downtown Los Angeles in one direction and Elysian Park in the other.
The family shared numerous photos of Robinson with Cadet.
“They really wanted me to get the likeness, and I assured them I’d be working very hard on that,” he said. “That was the element I spent the most time on to capture an expression that would be happening in that moment.”
On the statue’s granite base are three of Robinson’s quotes, as chosen by the family, including wife Rachel’s favorite: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
Now 94, Rachel Robinson is traveling from the East Coast to attend the unveiling, along with their daughter, Sharon, and son David. Their other son, Jackie Jr., died in a car accident in 1971.
Injury report: The Blue Jays put third baseman Josh Donaldson on the 10-day disabled list with a sore right calf. Outfielder Chris Coghlan was selected from Triple-A Buffalo. ... Rockies right-hander Jon Gray has been placed on the 10-day DL after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot and is expected to miss at least a month, according to the Denver Post. Colorado recalled right-handed reliever Shane Carle from Triple-A. ... The Indians, forced to use infielder Michael Martinez as a pitcher in Thursday’s loss to the White Sox, recalled righthander Nick Goody from Triple-A Columbus and optioned right-hander Shawn Armstrong, one of six pitchers used in the 10-4 defeat . ... The Padres reinstated former Giants catcher Hector Sanchez from the seven-day concussion DL and recalled right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso . ... The Cubs activated left-hander Brian Duensing from the 10-day DL.
Briefly: The White Sox started an all-Garcia outfield Friday — Avisail, Leury and Willy, right to left — the first time in majorleague history that a team has started three outfielders with the same last name. Brothers Felipe, Matty and Jesus Alou appeared together in the outfield for the Giants in three games in 1963, but they never started together . ... Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis is turning to Instagram to try to replace his lost white Easton shin guard. Kipnis says he’s worn the model since college and can’t replace it because Easton discontinued it. Kipnis says he will give tickets or memorabilia to anyone who can send him the model shin guard he wears.