DENVER — The discussion around Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson right now should be about his performance on the field, the strides he has made in a critical juncture of his tenure with his hometown team.
Instead, the focus Sunday were on actions that took place behind him in the stands.
The Colorado Rockies investigated an incident in which a fan shouted what sounded on the television broadcast like a racial slur while Brinson, who is Black, was batting at the end of the Marlins’ 13-8 loss to the Rockies in their series finale at Coors Field.
The Rockies on Monday told 9News’ Steve Staeger that the fan sitting behind home plate was shouting “Dinger,” which is the name of the Rockies’ mascot.
Brinson was at the plate in the ninth inning when the fan could be heard shouting the phrase multiple times on the Bally Sports Florida television broadcast. Marlins players and coaches on the field did not hear the comments.
The Rockies on Sunday night, about three hours after the game ended, wrote in a statement that they were “disgusted at the racial slur by a fan directed at the Marlins’ Lewis Brinson” and that they were “still investigating this incident.”
“The Rockies have zero tolerance for any form of racism or discrimination,” the statement continued, “and any fan using derogatory language of any kind will be ejected and banned from Coors Field.”
MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark released a statement on Sunday night condemning the use of racist language.
“We have to continue to work together to ensure that racism is never tolerated on or off the field,” Clark’s statement said in part.
Since then, according to 9News, the Rockies worked with their local broadcaster AT&T Sportsnet to identify the fan based on the microphone that picked up the fan’s shouts. The Rockies told the outlet they talked to the fan, who confirmed he was shouting “Dinger.”
What happens beyond this on the investigation front is to be determined.
But let’s shift the focus back to Brinson the player, Brinson the human being.
Brinson, a Fort Lauderdale native and Coral Springs High alumnus in his fourth season with the Marlins, has made it a mission to ignore outside noise that is directed toward him. It’s been a priority for the 27-year-old outfielder this season as he tries to make what could be his final case to prove he can be part of the club’s long-term plans.
He struggled out of the gate after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers as the headliner in the Christian Yelich trade, hitting .199 in 2018 and getting demoted to Triple A a month into the 2019 season. He made strides in 2020 when he platooned in right field, but had spent most of 2021 either in the minor leagues or as a bench player during sporadic trips on the big-league club.
The hope, the optimism, that everything will come together never waned.
And lately, things have finally started to click.
Heading into Monday’s game against the San Diego Padres, Brinson is hitting .314 (16 for 51) with seven doubles, two home runs, 12 RBI and seven runs scored in 17 games (13 starts) since his most recent call-up to the active roster on July 19. He has recorded multiple hits in four of his last seven starts.
Better late than never, Brinson says.
“Mentally, I’m in a good spot,” Brinson said Friday. “This whole year, really, it’s been kind of up and down, but since I’ve been in the lineup regularly, my confidence has been great. I just trust my work. I work hard. I work extremely hard and I trust my work. I trust my ability. It’s starting to show on the field consistently, so I’m happy.”
Brinson has also been vocal on the topics of racial justice and equality during his time in the big leagues. He is part of the Players Alliance, a group of about 150 current and former MLB and minor-league players who aim to “create an inclusive culture within baseball and the community, where differences are leveraged to elevate racial equality and provide greater opportunities for the Black community.”
He’s regularly in the community, as well. In the last year alone, Brinson handed out meals at Liberty City polling locations on Election Day, handed out personalized “swag bags” with outfielder prospect Monte Harrison to first graders at KIPP Sunrise Academy as part of a Marlins-organized holiday celebratio in December and was part of the Players Alliance’s “Pull Up Neighbor” food distribution stop in Overtown in January.
On Thursday at loanDepot park, Brinson and middle infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. handed out bats, balls, gloves and a Marlins hat to kids from the Marlins’ Junior RBI league. The spent time pregame throwing underhand pitches to the kids in the outfield and signed autographs.
“It means a lot,” Brinson said. “It especially meant a lot to me when I saw somebody out there playing baseball that looked like me. To get them face to face and see that they can be big leaguers too and play professional baseball too, I know that meant a lot to them and I hope they had a good time.”
