Washington Nationals celebrate Jackie Robinson Day
By Ron Juckett
The Washington Nationals hope to split their series with the Colorado Rockies as baseball honors Jackie Robinson. That and the reads in the Daily Washingtonian.
Good morning, Washington Nationals fans!
Today is Sunday, April 15, 2018.
Not only did the Nats win yesterday behind Max Scherzer‘s gem, they gained a game on the New York Mets. And, The Atlanta Braves blew a huge lead in terrible conditions at Wrigley Field. The National League East margin is five games.
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This Sunday marks the 71st anniversary of Jackie Robinson‘s first Major League Baseball game.
Since 1997, the 50th anniversary, MLB has honored him annually. His No. 42 is universally retired throughout the majors except one day a year. Today.
If you are at Nats Park, or watching on television, every player will wear a nameless No. 42 jersey to remember Robinson the pioneer, player and person.
When he broke in with the Brooklyn Dodgers back in 1947, television was in it’s infancy and no team sewn names on the back of uniforms. The money from selling scorecards at the park was lucrative. There was no need for names.
Although Stephen Strasburg starts the last game of the homestand, his uniform belongs to Robinson.
Here are the links:
Call to the Pen analyzes the NL East
Although the Nats are heavily favored to win the National League East for the third consecutive year, they have gotten off to a rough start. They are still favored to win the division, but it may be closer than originally anticipated. Benjamin Chase analyzes the Nats’ road to a third consecutive division title.
MASN criticizes Ryan Zimmerman
After an unorthodox spring training, Ryan Zimmerman has gotten off to a slow start in 2018. The team’s offensive struggles are not completely his fault, but he is among the main culprits. Ryan Sullivan says Zimmerman deserves the criticism he has received.
Despite an abysmal 2017 campaign, Matt Wieters remains the Nats’ starting catcher. An oblique injury forced him to miss a majority of the first couple weeks, but he has since returned. On Saturday, the Nats got a glimpse of what he can do when healthy, as the veteran backstop went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI. Jamal Collier praises Wieters.
Call to the Pen remembers the Montreal Expos
Due to the Nats’ recent success, most people fail to remember that the team has not always been this good. As a matter of fact, the Nats have not even been a team for that long. Prior to 2005, they were the Montreal Expos. The Expos made their debut 49 years ago, which caused Rick Soisson to reminisce on the first team outside of the United States.
Enjoy your Sunday!