Dee: 'I think we’re making Jackie proud'

When Dee Gordon puts on the No. 42 jersey every year on Jackie Robinson Day, it always means something special. But this year, with all that is going on around the country in regard to racial awareness and a push for equality, it meant even more to don that number on Friday.

Gordon and the Mariners -- who have 10 African American players on their 40-man roster -- were one of the first MLB teams to choose not to play their game on Wednesday in San Diego as a statement over their concern with the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., and the continuing issue of social injustice.

• A generation of Black players finds its voice

“I think we’re making Jackie proud, at least today,” Gordon said in a video call prior to the Mariners’ series opener with the Angels on Friday in Anaheim. “Because contrary to what anybody believes, Jackie Robinson died in his early 50s because he was holding in all the stress and not speaking his mind.

“I think he may be going, 'Whew, at least somebody is getting to speak.' And now we’re getting to wear his jersey on a day [after] we did something that had never happened. Did I want to stop baseball? I love baseball. But it’s a privilege. I think everybody needs to understand that.

“You can’t be one foot in and one foot out. ... I think he’d be happy to know we stood up and we weren’t trying to hurt anybody. We’re not trying to hurt the game. We just have to do something.”

• Jackie 'has to be remembered every year'

Gordon is one of the leaders of the Players Alliance, a group of more than 100 current and former MLB players who have formed to push for increased opportunities for the Black community both in the game and beyond.

Those players have chosen to donate their salaries from Thursday and Friday to the cause and will continue pushing for change.

“The message is that we’re tired,” Gordon said. “I think we just told you this [after George Floyd’s death] and have been telling you every day forever. It’s time for the world to open their eyes and see that we’re tired. We’re tired of our people being killed, we’re tired of being nervous if we’re next or if our family members are next.

“I think that’s pretty simple. No one is trying to be above anyone or retaliate for anything that has happened over the years. We’re just tired. We’re tired of mothers grieving about their sons or daughters getting hurt by unnecessary things. That’s pretty much it.”

Gordon said he’s pleased with how his Mariners teammates have listened and opened their eyes to the situation and how frank conversations have occurred in the team’s clubhouse this season. But he also notes that most teams don’t have the same African American presence, and that is part of what the Players Alliance is hoping to change.

“It’s still in the early formulating stages, but we have a lot of stuff going on,” he said. “We’re trying to save being Black in baseball, all the way down to locker-room attendants. We need people we can relate to. We need Joe Thurston, our first-base coach and outfield coach, because we need someone to relate to.

“We need Black training staff, traveling secretaries, front-office guys, scouts. Definitely scouts. We need help, but we need to put ourselves in it, too. And that’s what the Players Alliance is trying to do. We’re also trying to protect the young guys by letting them use their voice, but not getting them into bad trouble, but good trouble.”

• Mariners manager Servais: 'We need change'

Major League Baseball chose to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Aug. 28 this year for two reasons. It’s the anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, which the Robinson Family attended, and it also is the date in 1945 when Robinson and Branch Rickey met to discuss his future as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In conjunction with the celebration, MLB announced a partnership extension with the JRF Scholarship Program, the Jackie Robinson Museum and the annual JRF ROBIE Awards. The extension is through 2023 and includes a $3.5 million commitment on behalf of MLB.

Short takes
• The Mariners placed reliever Matt Magill on the 10-day injured list prior to Friday’s game with a right shoulder strain and recalled fellow right-hander Zac Grotz from the alternate training site. Magill becomes the eighth Seattle reliever on the current injured list.

• First baseman Evan White was not in the lineup Friday due to a sore right shoulder that sidelined him midway through the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader in San Diego. White had an MRI exam on Friday and was awaiting results, but manager Scott Servais said the rookie was feeling better and was hopeful of returning in “the next couple days.”