CHICAGO – Major League Baseball honored Jackie Robinson around the league Sunday, a tradition that’s grown even more popular over the years.
On the 65th anniversary of Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, every player and coach on the White Sox and Tigers donned jerseys with the retired No. 42, Robinson’s number, in a tradition that began in 2009.
The Sox’s uniforms also stood out because Sunday marked the first time they wore their 1972 throwback white and red pinstripe jerseys, which included red caps. Those jerseys will be worn during every Sunday home game.
“It’s just a little bright when you come in,” Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “You’re not used to seeing red when you walk in, so it’ll take getting used to. They’re actually nice.”
Escobar impresses: Ventura wants his players to stay fresh, which means there won’t be any two-week layoffs for Sox backups.
He tweaked the Sox’s lineup for the series finale against Detroit, starting Eduardo Escobar and Kosuke Fukudome at second base and right field, respectively. The move also added two left-handed bats to the Sox’s lineup against Tigers right-handed starting pitcher Rick Porcello.
Ventura praised the versatile Escobar for his high energy level. The 23-year-old went 1 for 3 with a single Sunday.
“From seeing him last year to this year, he’s just matured,” Ventura said. “He has a better approach at the plate. In spring training, when he was in games, stuff happened. For me, that’s nice. He was doing a lot of positive things for the lineup, and defensively, he showed he can play anywhere in the infield. It’s nice to get him in there and see what he can do.”
Humber preps for first start: Rain washed out Philip Humber’s first scheduled start of the season last week in Cleveland, but the right-hander is ready to take the mound today against the Baltimore Orioles.
When the Sox’s April 10 game was canceled, Humber was skipped in the rotation. However, Humber said the long layoff between starts hasn’t worried him. Humber threw a bullpen session the day of his rained-out start and another two days later to keep his routine.
“Last year, the times I had six, seven, eight days off in between [starts], for whatever reason it doesn’t seem to affect me as far as being able to command the baseball, and that’s the only thing you worry about,” Humber said. “For me, for some reason I’m able to still feel pretty comfortable no matter how much rest I’ve had.”
