Yankees, Royals honor Ernie Banks on Salute to Negro Leagues Day
The Kansas City Royals are holding their annual Salute to the Negro Leagues Day for Sunday's game against the New York Yankees.
The Royals are wearing Kansas City Monarchs uniforms, which contain a No. 28 patch on the left sleeve in honor of the late Ernie Banks. The Yankees are also wearing the patch honoring Banks.
Banks, who died in January, played three years of Negro League baseball with the Monarchs before becoming the Chicago Cubs' first black player in 1953. Banks wore No. 28 while with the Monarchs, and the Royals are wearing 1953 Monarchs uniforms to represent the last season Banks played for Kansas City.
"Ernie was always very humble, very gracious, talked to all of us when he came into the clubhouse," Girardi said before the game, according to NJ.com. "The one thing I'm happy is we're not playing two [games] today, and that was Ernie's favorite saying."
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The game-worn Monarchs jerseys will be up for auction after the game, with all proceeds benefiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo.
- Molly Geary
