MILWAUKEE -- Derek Holland allowed three home runs in his showcase start before the trade deadline Friday, as the Pirates fell to the Brewers, 9-1, at Miller Park.
Friday was Jackie Robinson day across the league, which was rescheduled from its usual Apr. 15 anniversary of him breaking baseball's color barrier because of the COVID-19 shutdown.
To commemorate, Major League Baseball released a video, narrated by Mookie Betts and directed by filmmaker Randy Wilkins, closing with Robinson's words, "there is not an American in this country free, until everyone of us is free."
“4 Us 2 Remember” reminds us that Jackie Robinson’s legacy lives on through the players who proudly wear 42 and everyone who stands against injustice.
— MLB (@MLB) August 28, 2020
Narrated by @MookieBetts pic.twitter.com/CZgyRLllby
It has been 73 years since Robinson broke the color barrier. It looks like a long time ago as the number, but it's only a few generations removed from where we are today. Before Friday's game, Derek Shelton told a story of how his son, Jackson, lit up when he realized that longtime baseball player and coach Don Zimmer, who was also part of the Rays organization at the time, was a teammate of Robinson.
There has been progress towards racial equality since Robinson's debut. There is more that needs to be done, and those discussions have amplified in 2020, unfortunately due to tragic events.
On Aug. 23, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by Kenosha, Wis. police. It was the latest in highly publicized cases of violence by police towards civilians in recent months, including the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks.
"I know that these horrific acts aren’t going to be the last ones that are talked about, but, hopefully, one day, they will end,” Josh Bell said Friday.
Since sports have returned, athletes have used their platform to protest racial injustice, including players kneeling during the National Anthem. In recent days, some players have refused to play in solidity with the cause. The NBA, WNBA and NHL playoffs have been postponed, but will resume Saturday.
There has been at least one baseball game not played each of the past three days, including Friday, when the Athletics and Astros held a brief ceremony honoring Robinson before walking off the field:
Black. Lives. Matter. pic.twitter.com/jRFkFYPITq
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 29, 2020
Shelton has said the organization will support players who will use their platforms for a message. Bell and Cole Tucker have been vocal, and Jarrod Dyson took a knee during the opening day National Anthem.
Ending police brutality is more important than sports
— Cole Tucker (@cotuck) August 26, 2020
The Pirates had what Bell described as a "30 or 40 minute" conversation about not playing Thursday in St. Louis, but ultimately decided to play because the logistics of having to reschedule another doubleheader against the Cardinals would be too difficult.
"We didn't necessarily do it as an act of not participating," Bell said. "We just felt like our hands were kind of tied in that moment. And the conversation was going to continue. With Mookie doing what he did and the NBA doing what they did, the conversation is continuing and we're excited to be a part of it."
The discussion sparked by athletes has continued off the field as well. On Friday, peaceful protesters marched through the streets of St. Louis to Busch Stadium, shouting, "no justice, no baseball:"
March in #stl pausing at Ballpark Village. “No justice! No baseball!” (#stlcards and the Cleveland Indians are scoreless in the first inning.) pic.twitter.com/CLFl2CLAfA
— Joel Currier (@joelcurrier) August 29, 2020
The protests across the league have been met with vocal supporters and critics on how athletes should use their platform, and if human rights activism should be separated from sports.
That discussion has made this a particularly relevant Jackie Robinson day. To borrow his words: "Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion, you're wasting your life."
“I feel like Jackie didn’t know what it was going to look like," Bell said. "But he knew that he was going to have to take some backlash, and he did. I feel like a lot of the players right now are taking some backlash, but they are willing and able to take it full on. It’s exciting to hope for the change in the future and to see what the world looks like in the future.”
Bell, who is usually reserved, has spoken out against racial injustice in recent months. He has become a part of the Player's Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 current and former black baseball players.
Those in the alliance are each donating two days worth of salaries back into their communities. As Bell put it, "we have to put our money where our mouth is."
"We can say a lot, but it means a lot more if we can go out in communities and actively do," Bell said. "That’s just a sign of us doing. I know there’s going to be a lot more to come."
Bell is still working on the question of how he can contribute to the fight for change. As Robinson once put, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
Bell still works to find the balance of how he can make that impact in a fight from the same sport which Robinson played in as he changed the world.
“I’ve been trying to recognize and acknowledge that there’s bad in this world, but still try to fight for the change that’s going to be the good,” Bell said. “... Hopefully one day it will be the last one, things will change, and legislation will change and society will change as a whole to make life better for younger generations across the board. It’s definitely tough, but I guess one day I’ll look back on these times and be thankful.”
• Holland's night was a continuing tale of falling one pitch short. Not only did seven of the eight runs he allowed come on two outs, they came on two strike counts as well.
"It’s something that’s going to bother me," Holland said. "We were right there. This is what we’ve been working for. We’ve been practicing this the whole time, putting guys away. Today was just one of those days where you got there and all of a sudden you couldn’t finish it. You weren’t getting the results that you wanted."
Holland did end up striking out eight batters, but that was overshadowed by the three home runs.
The dagger came in the third inning. After the Brewers put runners on second and third to open the frame, Holland struck out the next two and worked Braun to a full count.
Braun still cashed in:
The other two home runs on the night came on a solo shot by Jed Gyorko in the first and a two-run blast by Jacob Nottingham in the fourth.
Nottingham's homer came on a fastball on the low, inside corner.
"Looking at some of our scouting reports, that was kind of where you wanted to be on Nottingham," Holland said. "I thought everything was there. It’s just one of those days that, you had good stuff, and unfortunately you couldn’t get the results that you wanted. These guys, what is it my third time seeing them within a few starts. There were adjustments that I needed to make."
• With the Aug. 31 trade deadline almost here, Holland is focusing on the team right now, even though he is likely to be traded.
And he didn't exactly make a good final impression on the mound before a potential deal.
"If I was auditioning, I’m going to be a bullpen piece, if anything," he said.
• Corbin Burnes was the latest starter to carve up the Pirates' lineup, racking up 10 strikeouts over his six shutout innings.
Shelton praised his cutter after the game.
"He executed it to both sides of the plate," Shelton said. "He was able to run it in off the left-handers, and the fastball velocity just maintained and he was able to locate it.”
Burnes had three strikeouts with the cutter and four with his slider.
• The Pirates struck out 15 times on the night and only had four hits. Bell accounted for two of them, and the only run came on a JT Riddle seventh inning homer.
• One trade is in the books, with Jarrod Dyson going to the White Sox for the right to spend more in the international market this year.
While Dyson provided little to the Pirates on the field this year, he was a positive force in the clubhouse, and Shelton said that he will miss the energy that he brings.
"Honestly, he came in as a guy that was reputable as a good guy. He's a great guy," Shelton said. "He's an unbelievable teammate."
• Adam Frazier made his first start of the season in the outfield, playing left field. Bryan Reynolds was used as the designated hitter, and Shelton wanted to get Cole Tucker off his feet after starting both games of Thursday's doubleheader.
It doesn't hurt to showcase Frazier's ability to play multiple positions just ahead of the deadline, either.
• Will Craig is here primarily to play first base, but he could take some reps in right field if necessary. He got a taste for the position last year, and with Dyson gone, they are thin there at the moment.
"I go out there every now and then for work and stuff, but for the most part, it’s been predominantly first base," Craig said about his prep work at the Altoona alternate training site.
• The Altoona camp was supposed to play a six-inning game at PNC Park Friday, but it was rained out. They did some workouts inside the facility instead.
Ke'Bryan Hayes can't even play an exhibition at PNC Park.
• Outfielder Anthony Alford and pitchers Carson Fulmer and Austin Davis are still going through safety protocols. There should be more information for when they can join the team as soon as Saturday.
• Factoid of the night: Braun's home run was his 800th career extra-base hit. 70 of those have come against the Pirates, 38 doubles and 32 home runs.
Surprisingly, he has more extra-base hits against two teams other than the Pirates. He has 92 such hits against the Cubs (53 doubles, 39 homers) and 87 against the Reds (42 doubles, 45 home runs).
