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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015
PAGE 9
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ALL DOVER/KANSAN
Senior outfieldder Connor McKay slides on to second base in the game against New Mexico on April 8. After losing to the Missouri State Bears on March 24, the Jayhawks look for revenge tonight at 6 p.m. in Lawrence.
MISSY MINNEAR/KANSAN
Senior first basemen Blair Beck hits the ball while up to bat during the first game of the series against Oklahoma State on April 10.
Jayhawks look to avenge early season loss to Bears
KYLAN WHITMER
@KRWhitmer
Coming off a series win against No. 9 Oklahoma State over the weekend, the Kansas baseball team will challenge Missouri State on Wednesday for the second time this season. The teams met in Springfield, Mo., this March.
The Jayhawks had a great showing this weekend when they recovered from a loss in the first game against the Cowboys. Kansas took
the series with the final two victories. While the story of the season focused on the Jayhawks' offense, the team's pitching received praise for their role in the series victory as well, holding the Cowboys to just two runs in both of the Jayhawks' wins.
"We are just trying to get better," coach Ritch Price said. "Our pitching has gotten better, and if you look at the pitching numbers and stats, you see that they aren't very good, and as a result of that
this was a huge step forward for our pitching this weekend."
The Jayhawks' (15-21) stellar pitching over the weekend is needed on Wednesday since the previous meeting against the Bears (24-8) ended in a 15-9 loss.
Pitching posed a problem for the Jayhawks in Springfield as the Bears' defense dominated the fourth through sixth innings.
During the teams' matchup in March, the Jayhawks struck first with three runs in the first inning with two RBIs by senior Blair Beck. The Jayhawks held an 8-4 lead going into the bottom of the fourth, looking like the controlling force in the
The Bears scored 11 runs throughout the three innings and resulted in three pitching changes for the Jayhawks.
game.
The game saw a total of eight different Jayhawks on the mound.
Ballpark. The Jayhawks have made major strides since the previous meeting. Kansas averaged three pitchers during the series against Oklahoma State, including a seven-inning showing from senior Drew Morovick with five strikeouts.
A similar occurrence is unlikely to happen in Wednesday's game at Hoglund
"I do feel like we're starting to get better starts from our guys." Price said. "It's weekby-week, it isn't just going to happen overnight which is what we've been preaching when you got so many new young guys pitching in starting
roles."
The Jayhawks will look to their pitching development since the teams' previous meeting to avenge the loss and even up the two-game series. Sophomore Sean Rackoski will start on the bump for the Jayhawks with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at Hoglund Ballpark.
Edited by Vicky Diaz Camacho
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"He was kind of like Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, because he was the second African-American player in the majors behind Jackie Robinson. He was just as good of a ball player, an exciting player, and a very good teammate."
Bob Feller, Doby's teammate, on the Indians, via baseballhall.org
FACT OF THE DAY
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Larry Doby led the Majors with 32 home runs in 1952, becoming the first African American to do so.
baseball-reference.com
Q: What year was Doby's number 14 retired by the Indians?
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
A:1994
THE MORNING BREW
- baseballhall.org
Larry Doby should be honored like Jackie Robinson
Matthew Corte
@MattCorte7
On this date 68 years ago, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the MLB by playing his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Today, Robinson is still immortalized by every MLB franchise, his number hanging next to the other members of each teams' Hall of Fame, and youd be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't at least heard his name.
What about the name Larry Doby
though?
The second African American to break the color barrier in professional baseball, Doby made his major league debut less than three months after Robinson, on July 5, 1947, for the Cleveland Indians. So why is this pioneer often forgotten not only by baseball fans, but by our society?
While his number is retired by the Indians, you won't find a day where every MLB player dons Doby's number 14 like they do with Jackie's 42. Robinson's struggle to make teams respect him as a baseball player was well documented, as racial biases followed him to every visitor ballpark, as well as his own. But were Doby's struggles not the same?
He was forced to eat in different restaurants than his teammates, sleep in different hotels and faced the same racial slurs often shouted by fans that Robinson did. The only difference with Doby is that he received far less media attention than Robinson.
For this, Doby has almost been lost in the annals of baseball, but in reality, he's arguably a superior player to Robinson.
During his career, Doby led the majors in home runs twice, in RBIs
once, was a seven-time All-Star and became the first African American to win a World Series, along with teammate Satchel Paige. He also went on to become the second African-American manager in baseball history, three years after Frank Robinson did so.
In comparison, Robinson was a six-time All-Star, two-time stolen base champion, one-time batting champion and became the first African American to win an MVP award.
However, the point of this article isn't to debate whether one was better than the other, but rather celebrate how both of their careers made owners, coaches and players aware that African Americans were just as good as their white counterparts.
For these reasons, it's my belief that
Doby should be honored the same way that Robinson is. The MLB should retire the number 14 throughout baseball, and on July 5 of every year, proudly wear Doby's 14 like they do. Robinson's 42 on April 15. It didn't take just one
man, albeit an amazing one, to break the color barrier in baseball, and Doby is a testament to that. So when you see your favorite team wearing the number 42 tomorrow, don't just think about how Robinson broke the color barrier. Celebrate how both Doby and Robinson accomplished this feat together.
Edited by Jordan Fox
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