MLB and players show solidarity with natural disaster victims — again

By César Augusto Márquez

These are truly difficult times. After Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean and in Florida wreaked enormous pain and havoc, nature unleashed her fury on Puerto Rico and Mexico last week.

The Category 5 Hurricane María left a whole island of 3.5 million people stranded without power in Puerto Rico — and their loved ones without the ability to communicate with them.

It walloped and devastated la isla de encanto, the Island of Enchantment. The image of the fallen and broken statue of Hiram Bithorn — the first Puerto Rican to play Major League Baseball — aptly reflected the general despair.

At the same time, México suffered one of the biggest earthquakes in its history — in magnitude and square miles — leaving several hundred dead and millions affected. Strong aftershocks continued to unnerve the country throughout the weekend.

Like we have seen in recent weeks, the events galvanized Major League Baseball at all levels. MLB will donate $1 million to assist communities in Puerto Rico and Mexico impacted by the natural disasters. The money will be directed to immediate relief and long-term rebuilding efforts through a variety of organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Project C.U.R.E., the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and other nonprofits.

The players used their social media power to help. Besides sending good thoughts, they started fundraising campaigns and gathered supplies for victims. The spirit of Roberto Clemente seems to be in the air.

So many pitched in, including celebrities such as Ricky Martín, Jennifer López and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Houston Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltrán donated $1 million to jumpstart his campaign. St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who has 453,000 followers on Twitter and another 566,000 on Instagram, went small ball, raising $86,000 through #TeamMolina4PR. He also wrote “Pray4PR” on his helmet.

Carlos “Cookie” Carrasco, a Venezuelan starter for the Indians, helped collect supplies for the victims of María in Puerto Rico.

Hall of Famer Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez collected supplies for victims in his homeland of Puerto Rico via his Instagram account @Pudgerodriguez7.

Cuban player Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers tweeted out a video encouraging donations to Unido Por Los Nuestros, United for Our People, which is helping victims of all recent disasters.

Others, like retired Dominican player Vladimir Guerrero and the Dodgers’ Mexican-American star Adrián González, sent out prayers and thoughts to Mexico.

#TakeAKnee

Another trending topic revolved around athlete solidarity. Oakland A’s rookie Bruce Maxwell, who became the first major leaguer to kneel during the national anthem, protested President Donald Trump’s criticism of athletes over the weekend.

“This goes beyond the black and Hispanic communities because right now we have a racial divide that’s being practiced from the highest power we have in this country, saying it’s basically O.K. to treat people differently. I’m kneeling for a cause, but I’m in no way disrespecting my country or my flag,” Maxwell said.

Milestones and postseason newbies

The Mariners’ Robinson Canó joined the 300-home run club.

White Sox slugger José Abreu became the third player in history to notch at least 25 home runs and 100 RBIs in his first four seasons, following in the footsteps of two legends, Joe DiMaggio and Albert Pujols.

Yankees ace Luis Severino celebrated making the playoffs on Saturday despite getting hit in the back during warmups earlier in the day.

Fans could also celebrate for their teams via MLB’s #clinchcam. On Friday, the Dodgers clinched, making Saturday’s La Gran Fiesta Hispanic Heritage event at Dodger Stadium even more festive.

Hulk Smash Ball

There’s a tradition in baseball — an initiation rite of sorts — that each year rookies must wear a costume at one point of the season. This year, the Indians’ rookies dressed as superheroes. Word to the wise: Don’t make Yandy Díaz mad.

Featured image: Yadier Molina Instagram