Chicago Cubs players donned Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shirts on Opening Day to commemorate the 17 students and staff members who were killed at the St. Valentine’s Day massacre that took place last month.
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has a special connection with the Parkland, Florida, high school. He’s a graduate, and as such, praised the students for becoming outspoken advocates for gun control.
“I think the nation is listening,” Rizzo told the Chicago Tribune. “I think there are some politicians that are maybe shaking a little bit, a little nervous. But you’ve got to keep going.”
And the Opening Day game was especially emotional for him; it was played at Marlins Park in Miami — less than 20 miles away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“I think these kids are standing up for what they believe in,” he said. “They’re motivating everyone to go out there and register to vote, which is amazing. That’s as powerful as they can make their voice heard — going out and vote.”
Rizzo added that their efforts are showing results.
“They’re holding the throttle down on all these politicians, holding them accountable for what they believe in. It’s just unbelievable how an entire nation is rallying around Stoneman Douglas High School.”
The Cubs infielder also spoke at a Stoneman Douglas vigil one day after the shooting, but never mentioned gun control issues. He opened up Thursday, however.
“In a perfect word, make it stricter,” he said. “Make background checks a little harder to get these guns. I think it’s a little too easy to go in there and get a gun. I think the entire nation can agree on that.”
Both Rizzo and the Cubs enjoyed some support on social media.
Prior to Thursday’s opening pitch, Rizzo went back to Parkland to watch his old high school team play ball.
“I wanted to see all the hype on the baseball team, because they’ve been really good the last few years,” he said. “They put on a show, they won 15-0. So they motivated me. Let’s hope we come out today and score some runs.”
It worked. The Cubs won Thursday’s game, 8-4.
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