How Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox Did Jackie Robinson Proud

On the eve of Major League Baseball’s postponed Jackie Robinson Day festivities, his namesake on the Boston Red Sox made a stand that would’ve made the color-barrier-breaking legend proud.

And as if Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr.’s decision to not play against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday wasn’t valiant enough, it was followed up by his teammates’ decision to have the game in Buffalo postponed as well.

Along with several other teams in MLB, the Red Sox and Blue Jays didn’t play their game in an attempt to draw attention to social justice and police brutality in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin this week.

“We’re all family in this room, more so than ever this year, with a lot of us being away from our actual families,” Red Sox outfielder Kevin Pillar said during a video conference. “We rely on each other for more than just baseball. We’re the brothers we lean on. The silver lining to everything that’s happened this year is it’s made people a little bit more comfortable having these uncomfortable conversations.”

Bradley Jr., Boston’s lone Black player, and the Red Sox played their game in Baltimore on Wednesday while games in Milwaukee, San Diego and San Francisco were being postponed. Those games weren’t played following the postponement of games in the NBA, WNBA and MLS.

Bradley Jr. said after the game against the Orioles that the he and his teammates didn’t have time to absorb what was going on or to have a team-wide discussion about any actions they wanted to take. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do on Thursday, but he said he felt he had the support of the organization.

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke had a feeling Bradley Jr. might want to sit out Thursday’s game, so he and his coaching staff began conversations with other players about how to handle the situation. Roenicke said all the players supported Bradley Jr.’s right to sit out, but there were varying ideas about how to show that support.

After Bradley Jr. and coach Tom Goodwin, an ex-MLB outfielder who is also Black, addressed the team, the decision was made to not play.

“They were encouraging us to play the game,” pitcher Nathan Eovaldi said. “They didn’t want us to make the decision based on them. But I felt like everything going on, everybody showing their support for those guys, everything that they are to the team, it’s the least we could do to show them the respect and the support that they need.”

In addition to supporting the Black members of their team, the Red Sox were hoping to spark a conversation across their fanbase.

“I mean I’m listening to Jackie, I’ve got tears in my eyes. I’m listening to Goody, I’ve got tears in my eyes. This is really an important time in our country, and what are we going to do? These guys have a platform to be able to discuss some things that are serious issues in our country that we need to straighten out,” Roenicke said. “And I think we know how important baseball is. We understand that, that’s why they’re playing, we’re playing through the pandemic that’s going on. So we know it’s all important. But we know the issues in life are more important. And listening to Goody and Jackie talk, it makes a big difference in our lives and it should make a big difference in everybody’s lives. You know if you’re a kid and you turn on the TV tonight and you don’t see that we’re playing and you ask your parents, ‘why aren’t the Red Sox playing?’ I hope the parents have a serious discussion with their kids and tell them what’s going on, explain what’s going on because we need to discuss these things more, we need to listen more. And that’s the only way that we’re going to change.”

Some 75 years ago, as recounted by author Glenn Stout, the Red Sox gave Robinson a “sham tryout” that didn’t lead to a contract. The Red Sox were then the last team to integrate when they promoted Pumpsie Green to the majors in 1959. What the Bradley Jr. and the Red Sox did Thursday showed how they’ve come as an organization, just as what other teams did honored Robinson’s legacy better than anything MLB has planned for this weekend.

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