Two Asian American managers made Major League Baseball on Friday night during a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
According to a tweet from the Dodgers, Dodger Manager Dave Roberts and Giants’ interim manager Kai Correa are the first managers/coaches of Asian descent to face each other in any of the four major professional U.S. sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL).
The Giants announced Friday, hours before the game, that they had fired manager Gabe Kepler, NBC Sports reports. Correa, who grew up in Hawaii, was named as Kepler’s replacement.
Roberts, whose mother is Japanese and father is Black, has managed the Dodgers since 2016. He has been vocal about the rise in anti-Asian hate over the past few years.
Before the game, Roberts and Correa exchanged lineup cards at home plate, keeping in line with protocol. The pair, however, stopped to enjoy the history-making moment.
“I’m glad I got to have that moment with Doc,” Correa said, according to KNBR. “I don’t know if you saw, but I took a little time to give him a message. I just thanked him for representing our shared background and creating opportunities for folks who look like me, have that heritage. Just an appreciation for him taking the time to come out for the lineup for that specific reason. It meant a lot to me.”
The game ended in a 6-2 win for the Dodgers. The teams face each other again on Saturday.
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