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MLB players and teams band together to honor victims of Parkland shooting

Liz Roscher
Staff writer
All MLB teams wore a Stoneman Douglas hat to pay tribute to the victims of the Parkland shooting. (Twitter/@redsox)
All MLB teams wore a Stoneman Douglas hat to pay tribute to the victims of the Parkland shooting. (Twitter/@redsox)

On Friday, Major League Baseball did their part to honor the victims and survivors of the recent shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. With spring training officially underway, every team that played a game wore caps emblazoned with the logo of the high school.

Parkland is just 50 miles north of Miami, and the Miami Marlins went the extra mile to show their support. They invited the school’s baseball and softball teams to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, their spring training home. The students met with players and even with Marlins part-owner and CEO Derek Jeter, though they probably remember him a little better from his playing days.

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Though the pictures with Jeter were great, this tweet won the day. It features a Stoneman Douglas baseball player and Marlins minor leaguer Lewis Brinson, together in fantastic side-by-side then-and-now photos. Brinson is from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, just 25 miles from Parkland.

The Houston Astros, who train in Palm Beach, invited a Stoneman Douglas student to sing the national anthem at their spring training game against the Washington Nationals.

And while the student athletes were over meeting the Marlins, the coaches of the baseball team (and their sons) stopped by to meet with Astros manager A.J. Hinch.

The caps worn by the players and coaches will be auctioned off, and the proceeds will be donated to the victim’s fund. Many players wanted to show their support for Parkland beyond just the caps, so they tweeted their support and solidarity.

But the player who’s closest to Parkland and Stoneman Douglas High School is Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs. Rizzo is from Parkland, and a Stoneman Douglas alumnus. He talked to the media on Friday about how happy he is to see all the support for Parkland.

MLB showed their support on Friday, but there’s no doubt that Rizzo will continue to do what he can to help the community and the high school heal after such a devastating tragedy.

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Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher