Rangers’ Taylor Hearn, 100-plus MLB players donate game-day salaries to the Players Alliance on Jackie Robinson Day
GAME DAY #GAMEDAY
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Taylor Hearn played baseball for free Thursday.
The way he — and more than 100 players around the game — figured, it was the least they could do to repay the debt to Jackie Robinson for breaking baseball’s color barrier 74 years ago Thursday.
As baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day with all players wearing No. 42, a number of players pledged to donate a day’s pay to The Players Alliance, which seeks to help improve Black representation in the sport. The Players Alliance was founded last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the renewed call for social justice and historic lows for Black participation in the major leagues.
For Hearn, scheduled to make $582,500 this year, the donation amounted to a little more than $3,000. Several other players of different backgrounds joined him in donating their salary. On behalf of the Players Alliance, Hearn spoke to the entire team on Wednesday about the initiative.
“It means a ton,” Hearn said. “It means a lot to wear the jersey, but also that guys are supporting the cause. It’s a good day. It’s a good day to reflect. It’s a good day to give thanks to Jackie. The last year has put a lot of things in perspective. To continue to give back and use the platform and be active in the community is special to me.”
Hearn, 26, was the easy choice to make the presentation. Actually, he was the only choice, which speaks to the issue. Not only does he support the Players Alliance, he’s the only Black player currently on the active roster.
The Rangers do, however, have a total of 10 Black players between the active roster, the injured list and the alternate site team. According to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, the Rangers had more Black players at those levels than any other organization.
For Hearn, who grew up in a rodeo family in Royse City, Texas, he’s always been used to “sticking out like a sore thumb,” as he described it, in predominantly white-dominated sports. He acknowledged Thursday that it once led to a breakdown while he was at Double-A in the Pittsburgh organization. Pitching for Altoona, he wasn’t just the only Black pitcher on the roster, but the only Black pitcher in the organization.
“It was pretty emotional,” Hearn said. “It was really difficult for me. I ended up in the manager’s office and he asked what was wrong. I asked him if he knew how many Black pitchers there were in the organization. He said he was sure there were three or four. I had to tell him I was the only one. It’s pretty tough to try to ignore that.”
While the Players Alliance was involved in helping to provide personal protective supplies and food to Black communities over the winter, the long-range goal is to improve Black participation in the game. At the winter event in Oak Cliff, Hearn, reliever Demarcus Evans and outfielder Delino DeShields were joined by Clayton Kershaw and Trevor Story.
“Taylor really spoke from the heart about this,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “He said it’s going to take all of us. He said, ‘I’m doing things in the community; I’d love to see you there.’
“The last year has started conversations and we’re not afraid to have those conversations,” Woodward added. “When I was growing up, the majority of the best players in the game were Black. But I wasn’t even conscious of how the numbers had dropped. A lot of guys weren’t. Now that I’m more aware, I know I can do things to help. The conversations are easier to have now.”
Taylor Hearn is happy to have the conversations.
And even happier to take action.
It’s the least he can do.