The Diamondbacks gave a rude welcome to a couple of former D-backs on Jackie Robinson Day
Diamondbacks News
(AZ Central) Diamondbacks batters feast in series opener, top Nationals
The win marked an encouraging start to what figures to be a difficult, 10-game, three-city road trip, and it allowed the Diamondbacks to move on from a brutal loss in which they blew a five-run lead in the finale of their first homestand earlier this week.
“He wasn’t sharp,” said Manager Dave Martinez, who, like his players, wore the No. 42 on Thursday to honor Jackie Robinson on the 74th anniversary of him breaking MLB’s color barrier. “It’s not like him to hit batters, and his location was bad. I can’t really pinpoint anything right now on him. His mechanics look like they’re okay, so we’re just going to have to dig in a little deeper.”
“I’m never going to forget that year,” Cabrera said. “Before I signed with Washington, I was thinking I would go home. But the way I finished that year, with really good numbers, it helped me to keep my head up and say that I’ve got more in me.”
The Diamondbacks have no reason to dispute that. Two weeks into the season, he is hitting .273/.405/.545 with three doubles and two home runs. His production and versatility have played a crucial part in keeping the lineup afloat despite early injuries to shortstop Nick Ahmed and first baseman Christian Walker and the struggles of infielder Josh Rojas
In the meantime, he needed a place to throw and someone to catch him. Luckily, the right-hander has quite the hookup. He called his agent, who happened to have a house in the Phoenix area and a bit of experience behind the plate. That last part is a bit of an understatement — Frías is represented by Miguel Montero, the best catcher in Diamondbacks history.
MLB News
(ESPN) On Jackie Robinson Day, the baseball world paid tribute to a legend
On this date in 1947, Jackie Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut, and in doing so integrated baseball for good. Robinson faced opposition, turmoil, and hatred during his career in the majors, but persevered through it all, winning Rookie of the Year in his first season, MVP in his third and a World Series in his ninth. Despite starting his MLB career far later than most, Robinson would prove himself to be one of the greatest players in baseball history and would be elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
(Sportsnet) How Jackie Robinson’s season in Montreal set up his MLB success
The role of that campaign with the International League club is often given short shrift in accounts of the trailblazing second baseman’s breaking of the colour barrier. But as baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day on Thursday, it’s worth remembering that his 124 games with the Royals – the first of which, a 14–1 win over the Jersey City Giants when he went four for five with a homer, was 75 years ago Sunday – set the groundwork that led him to Ebbets Field.
Of interest to some of us. The Diamondbacks will be drafting 6th this year, and I must say, in sixth place in this ranking is a starting pitcher named Gunner Hogland, and can I just say, A+ Baseball Name right there.
Just two weeks into the Major League Baseball season, the teams leading the way include the New York Yankees, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros — but that has nothing to do with win-loss records. According to MLB, those are the lone teams whose players have been mostly vaccinated against Covid-19. And in 2021, that’s a problem.
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