While most of the sports world is gearing up for June 7 at the United Center, where Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will meet in what’s shaping up to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the WNBA season. It’s not just basketball or even points per game that people are talking about. The racial dynamic between the two young stars—one white, one black—has sparked a wider conversation about how race continues to shape perception in sports. Some fans defend Clark’s rise as well-earned attention; others argue that fans are unfairly vilifying Resse over a flagrant foul by Clark which may have been uncalled for and, possibly, incorrectly ruled as flagrant by the referees.
While all eyes will turn toward the United Center on June 7, yesterday—May 18—was an important date in another chapter of sports history, one that also centers on race, perseverance, and how we remember the athletes who shape our games. You see, May 18 is a significant date in MLB history, not for one moment but for two. One, a quiet but powerful milestone in 1947 which helped change the course of American history. The other, an emotional goodbye in 2012 which gave a beloved player the graceful exit he deserved.
Let’s start with Jackie Robinson.
By May 18, 1947, Jackie Robinson had already broken Major League Baseball’s color barrier a month earlier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. That day, however, marked his first visit to Wrigley Field—his first time playing against the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers won 4-2, but Jackie went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. To many fans, it probably looked like just another early-season game. But it wasn’t. Every time Robinson stepped on the field that year, it was a political act. A cultural shift. A message to millions.
Robinson wasn’t just playing baseball—he was enduring. Chicago fans were no more welcoming than those in Cincinnati or St. Louis or Philadelphia. He heard the jeers, the threats, and the slurs. Still, he played. He played because he belonged. Because he was good enough. Because someone had to be first. And May 18 at Wrigley was one more stop in the journey of proving it.
This wasn’t about hitting .300 or winning a Gold Glove. It was about forcing the nation to confront itself. Every base Jackie touched in 1947 was one more reminder that segregation didn’t belong in baseball—or anywhere else. And whether fans knew it or not, Wrigley Field was a stage that day for something bigger than just balls and strikes.
Fast-forward sixty-five years, and Wrigley hosted a very different kind of moment on the exact same date: May 18, 2012.
Kerry Wood, the electric right-hander who once struck out 20 batters in a single game on May 6, 1998, announced his retirement from Major League Baseball that day. But he wasn’t done just yet. He wanted to say goodbye on the mound, in front of Cubs fans, at home. So, in the eighth inning of a game against the White Sox, Wood came out of the bullpen one final time.
He faced just one batter—Dayán Viciedo—and struck him out on three pitches. Then he walked off the field, tipping his cap to the crowd, tossing his glove into the stands, and embracing his son in the dugout. It was emotional, it was fitting, and it was a perfect farewell to a player who’d spent his entire career giving everything to Chicago.
Wood’s career had been up and down. After that legendary 20-strikeout game in 1998, expectations were sky-high. He was supposed to be the next Nolan Ryan. But injuries got in the way—Tommy John surgery, shoulder problems, and a shift from starter to reliever. Through it all, he stayed loyal to the Cubs—before leaving Chicago from 2008 thru 2010 to play in Cleveland and New York—and the fans stayed loyal to him.
His final pitch on May 18 was more than symbolic. It was a closing of the loop. From phenom to mentor, from fireballer to fan favorite, he went out not as a cautionary tale but as a Chicago legend. The kind of guy you’re proud to root for, even if his stat line didn’t end up in Cooperstown.
So what do Jackie Robinson and Kerry Wood have in common, besides sharing a date in Cubs history? On the surface, not much. One broke baseball’s racial barrier and helped to change the countries views on racism. The other broke a few radar guns and battled injury for over a decade. But look a little closer, and you’ll see a common thread: dignity.
Nearly 80 years later racism is still a topic in sports and it is important to realize that Robinson didn’t lash out, even when he had every reason to. He proved his worth through excellence and grace under pressure. And in both cases, it happened on May 18. In the same ballpark.
Here’s the thing, folks: Yes, in a couple short weeks the spotlight will be on Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. And rightly so. Their matchup is about more than just points or minutes played. It’s a reflection of how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go in terms of race, perception, and equity in sports. But while we have those conversations in present tense, let’s not forget the past. Because May 18 will always be an important day in Chicago sports history—not because of box scores, but because of the people who stood on that mound or that baseline, and said, simply, “I’m here.”
With that… Whether it was a trailblazer in 1947 or a hometown hero in 2012, May 18 reminds us that every time someone steps onto a field or a court, they bring their story with them. Some stories change the game. Others just remind us why we love it.
If you cannot play with them, then root for them!