'I don't take wearing 42 lightly': Fowler HRs

ST. LOUIS -- Dexter Fowler drove home Wednesday night while the Cardinals were still playing the Royals at Busch Stadium, reflecting on his decision to remove himself from the lineup and not play to bring awareness to social injustice around the country. He was one of many players, including teammate Jack Flaherty, around the Majors, the NBA, the WNBA and MLS to sit out a game this week in protest of police brutality around the country.

“Obviously, the past few days have been emotional,” Fowler said on Friday. “I wanted to play baseball, but some things are bigger than baseball. African Americans in this country have been hurting for some time. I took that day just to bring awareness.”

• Flaherty: 'I haven't been involved enough'

Two days later, it was not lost on Fowler or the Cardinals that Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day around the country. And Fowler seized the moment by belting a two-run home run in his first at-bat during the second inning of the Cardinals' 14-2 loss to the Indians.

“It’s an honor,” Fowler said before the game. “It’s an honor that we’re able to put on No. 42. This is a day that’s super emotional to me, and obviously I don’t take wearing 42 lightly. Especially with the climate nowadays.”

Before the game, Cards and Indians players took the field at Busch Stadium wearing No. 42, and a tribute video to Robinson was also played after the national anthem on Friday.

MLB chose to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Aug. 28 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.

“I just love what it represents,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “Jackie Robinson had a lot of courage. Him being picked by Branch Rickey was no coincidence. [Rickey] picked the character of Jackie Robinson because he picked somebody that would not back down, but also had the vision … to be able to pick a spot and be able to be disciplined enough in a very challenging setting, with not a lot of support to break a color barrier that was the first of all organized major sports.”

The Cardinals announced Friday that On the Run, a St. Louis-based convenience store, donated $15,000 this year to be split between Cardinals Care and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Each year, On the Run holds a Jackie Robinson Day jersey raffle of game-worn 42 jerseys that the Cards players wear on April 15 to raise money for Cardinals Care and the JRF. That raffle has raised more than $560,000 over the past 12 seasons, supporting students of color in pursuit of a college education and children throughout Missouri and Illinois.

With the raffle being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, On the Run still wanted to make a donation Friday to celebrate Robinson’s achievements and spark conversation on civil rights and equality.

Fowler and Flaherty are part of the Players Alliance, a group founded this year that now includes more than 100 active and retired professional baseball players. Players in that group are donating their salaries from Thursday and Friday to support the group’s effort "to combat racial inequality and aid the Black families and communities deeply affected in the wake of recent events,” the group said in a statement on Twitter.

Fowler posted a message on Instagram announcing that he’ll also be donating Wednesday’s salary to Las Vegas and St. Louis based organizations that are focused on racial equality and social justice.

“I stepped away from the game obviously on Wednesday just to bring awareness,” Fowler said. “I decided to put my money where my mouth is from that game and being able to donate my game-day check. That’s part of it. I have the means to do that, and that’s the least I can do.”

Fowler spoke Friday about how difficult the decision was to not play Wednesday. But he felt something needed to happen, and he called his dad, who told Fowler he thought his son was making the right decision. The drive home, Fowler said, was “emotional.”

“Hopefully the conversation keeps going,” Fowler said. “I think that’s important. I think that’s the most important thing. People keep having the conversation, and the awareness is out there and hopefully this is a step in the right direction.

“When I went home and was watching the game, my daughter asked me, ‘Daddy, why aren’t you playing tonight?’ And I had to explain it to her. And she goes, ‘Well, that’s not right.’ For a 6-year-old to realize the difference between right and wrong definitely hits home.”

Worth noting
• Matt Wieters (left big toe contusion) returned to Busch Stadium on Thursday and will be evaluated again after working out Saturday to set a timetable for his return to the active roster. He’s eligible to come off the 10-day injured list as early as Sunday.

• Longtime third-base coach Jose Oquendo has returned to the Cardinals’ alternate training site in Springfield, Mo., to take over running that camp. Oquendo coached third base for the last two weeks after the Cards returned to the field, but current third-base coach Pop Warner has returned to those duties.