DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – City officials are pumping $30 million into the historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, with the hopes of keeping its history alive.
“The ballpark has been here for over 100 years and hopefully with what we’re doing now, baseball will be played here for another 100 years,” said Daytona Tortugas General Manager Jim Jaworski.
Brand new lights and a new roof are just some of the projects Jaworski said are part of the renovations.
“There’s a ton of work going on behind home plate and on the first base side, so you name it, it’s going to be sandblasted, power washed, painted, the roof is completely off,” he said.
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The Tortugas were on a list of Minor League Baseball teams in 2019 to be eliminated or relocated by the end of 2020. The city pushed to keep them and the renovations are part of the deal.
Jaworski said they are also saving history, including the namesake.
“On March 17, 1946, Jackie Robinson played right here at this very field,” he said.
During spring training of 1946, several southern cities including DeLand and Sanford wouldn’t allow Robinson to play. The Dodgers’ General Manager, Branch Rickey, had to find a city for the Montreal Royals minor league team that would accept Robinson.
“He thought first of Daytona Beach because he had heard of Mary McLeod-Bethune and her influence in moderating race relations,” said local historian Leonard Lempel.
Lempel said the Daytona Beach City Commission chose to ignore the segregation laws and give him a chance.
“This was a very unusual place where Blacks had political power and so the city officials, they didn’t want to upset the Black community,” Lempel said.
That allowed Robinson to make his spring training debut on March 17, 1946.
“There were some jeers, some boos, but overwhelmingly, most people accepted him,” Lempel said.
78 years later, that legacy is still something you see no matter where you turn at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
“To have that moment happen right here and to be able to continue that history and to be able to continue to tell that story is pretty special,” Jaworski said.
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