JACKIE ROBINSON DAY AT YANKEE STADIUM
The New York Yankees, in celebration of Jackie Robinson day, had all players from both teams wear number 42 in commemoration of Jackie Robinson’s first game as an African American player in Major League Baseball. Robinson broke the color barrier more than 76 years ago on April 15, 1947.
I had the opportunity to see, by accident, in 1972 Jackie Robinson who was just down the street from where I was. I hurried and saw him for my very first and last time. Jackie was at Madison Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City where there was once a Chock Full of o’Nuts. Chock Full o’Nuts was New York’s most popular coffee shop as it had opened 80 locations. Jackie had served as its Vice President of personnel from 1957-1964. Jackie was dressed in a Navy Blue suit, white shirt, Navy blue tie, and black shoes; a very distinguished man. I was impressed after hearing so much about him by my father and high school principal Joseph Driscoll, who was a personal friend of Jackie. Jackie was signing autographs as he was approached by fans who found out he was in the Chock Full of o’Nuts as Jackie had been an executive representing the company in the past.
The Yankees up this point in the young season currently have a record of 8 -6. The Yankees lineup is one the most desired by many other MLB teams. On Jackie Robinson day the Yankees played the Twins, Domingo German looked very confident with his pitches. However, the Twins, having kept Carlos Correa, has definitely kept the Twins a contender of the American League Central Division providing they can keep up with the Cleveland Guardians who are the defending Central Division champions. The Yankees hit homers by catcher Kyle Higashioka on the bottom of the second inning which also scored Franchy Cordero and Anthony Rizzo homered on the bottom of the third inning. This was the 9th game that Christian Vasquez reached base in the last 10 games he has played for the Twins. The impact player of the game was Domingo German having pitched 3 perfect innings with a strong outing of 6.1 innings striking out 11 Twins and did retire the first 16 hitters he faced.
However, the manager of the Twins, Rocco Baldelli, thought otherwise as he kept looking at the mound, especially in the 4th inning, and saw the constant moves by German who apparently had too much rosin in his hands. Baldelli felt something was going on the mound, so the Twins Manager argued and lost his patience with the umpires after the umpires had not noticed that German had been told by the umpires earlier to clean himself off while he had gotten rid of the excess rosin on his hands between the 3rd and 4th innings. the Twins manager was not complaining about the use of the rosin, as it is allowed by Major League Baseball, but for its excessive use. Baldelli felt that since German was not taken out of the game just before the start of the 4th inning an umpire had addressed the issue of the rosin.
Yankees Manager Boone and team translator Marlin Abreu spoke to German about the issue as the time led to a 5 1/2-minute gap before the end of the third inning and start of the 4th inning. The Twins were demanding his ejection from the game. The Twins manager felt that German had not fully complied with the earlier umpire’s request and allowed German to keep on pitching. Eventually the Twins manager lost his patience and was thrown out of the game by the crew chief James Hoye as German was allowed to remain in the game. Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler took over as the manager.
In the bottom of the 5th inning DJ LeMahieu singled to deep right field scoring Anthony Volpe. In the seventh inning Jose Miranda doubled scoring Trevor Lamach for the only Twins run of the game. In the bottom of the seventh inning Giancarlo Stanton doubled to deep left center field scoring Aaron Judge and DJ LeMahieu. The Twins pitcher, Tyler Mahle, pitched 4/1/3 innings as he was the first Twins starter not to have completed at least five innings this season. The Yankees went on to win the game 6-1 as the fans were supportive right from the start of the game in front of the 38,363 electrified fans who were thrilled with this Yankees win. By the way Anthony Volpe became the first Yankee in the game to steal three bases in a game since Ichiro Suzuki did it on September 19, 2012t . At that time Anthony Volpe was only 11 years old.
Gabriel “Tito” Avila, Jr.
Editor
HHBMHOF Network International
