On Thursday, the Twins and Tigers voted to take a stand and postpone their games in the name of change, justice and equality in the aftermath of the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., and all those victims of racial injustice that came before him.

It's all the more meaningful, then, that in their return to the field Friday, both teams had a full 14 innings to honor Jackie Robinson, the enduring symbol of change, justice and equality in baseball since he broke the sport's color barrier in 1947.

"I did find it almost crazy and kind of great that after everything that went down yesterday in baseball and in sports and with our organization as well, that we come right back here today and wear No. 42, and we go out there and celebrate Jackie Robinson and everything that he's done for our game, and really, for the nation," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.

As usual, all players and coaches around the league wore Robinson's No. 42 on their backs during Friday's games, along with a commemorative sleeve patch. The league's social media accounts also featured content inspired by Robinson, headlined by a video narrated by Dodgers star Mookie Betts highlighting Robinson's life and civil rights activism.

Major League Baseball and the Jackie Robinson Foundation also announced an extension of their partnership through 2023, with the majority of the $3.5 million commitment going toward the foundation's scholarship program, which provides four-year college scholarships to selected minority students around the country and support for Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars.

The Twins also highlighted Robinson on their social media accounts, including club-specific content designed to educate children about Robinson's legacy. They also framed conversations around the book "Testing the Ice: A True Story about Jackie Robinson," by Robinson's daughter, Sharon.

The celebration of Robinson's legacy is, as always, an important indication of how far baseball has come since the early days of the sport. The events of 2020, a continuation of historic injustices against the Black community, is an important indication of how much progress still remains to be made around the country.

"I know that when I go out there on the line -- and I think I can speak for a lot of our guys -- that you're going to be thinking about a lot of very meaningful things, and the context in which you're thinking about everything has changed since we last did this last year, wearing No. 42," Baldelli said. "So, we always, as we grow older, we learn a lot, we experience a lot and our perceptions will always change.

"I think the amount of growth, just through the number of challenges and the number of different things that have gone on just in this short last year, it's going to improve us as a group. It's going to improve and help us think about things differently. We've learned a lot. We've learned a lot as people, and I think when we go out there, we're going to appreciate this day more than we ever have before."

Members of The Players Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 current and former baseball players, announced that their salaries from Thursday and Friday will be donated to efforts to combat racial inequality and aid Black families and communities impacted by recent events. Players around the league are undoubtedly having discussions as to how they will carry through the momentum and awareness from the postponed games on Wednesday and Thursday to meaningfully change the circumstances for those dealing with systemic injustice.

As Robinson did, all those years ago.

"The choice not to play yesterday is one thing, but again, to the point of making a change, of how do we impact that change, it's being able to possibly find different kinds of vehicles that will promote change in different ways, with monetarily or giving your time or having conversations when you go back home to your states or to your towns where you live," Rich Hill said. "I know, as a white guy from Massachusetts, that these conversations didn't take place until recently, and it was only because of the major issues that are going on in the country. I think we are in a huge time in our history to make those changes and have those conversations when we go home."

Major League Baseball chose to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Aug. 28 for two reasons. It’s the anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, which the Robinson family attended, and it also is the date in 1945 when Robinson and Branch Rickey met to discuss Robinson's future as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Kepler fine, in starting lineup
Max Kepler was not only back in the starting lineup on Friday, he was also slotted into center field, an indication that he's feeling fine after he fouled a pitch off his right foot and exited in the second inning of Wednesday's 6-3 loss to Cleveland at Progressive Field.

Baldelli indicated that there's likely to be some persistent soreness in the area, but doesn't expect it to be a significant hindrance in Kepler's ability to play the field.

"Initially, when Kep fouled that ball off his leg, it was really tightening up on him very quickly," Baldelli said. "It seemed a little unusual how quickly that was happening and he was struggling to move at the moment, but it resolved itself reasonably quickly and yesterday not playing maybe helped him a little bit physically."

Roster moves
The Twins selected the contract of right-handed reliever Juan Minaya from their taxi squad prior to Friday's scheduled doubleheader and recalled Lewis Thorpe as their 29th man. Left-hander Danny Coulombe was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

Minaya posted a 3.93 ERA over 125 games for the White Sox from 2016-19, with 142 strikeouts in 128 1/3 innings. The Twins signed the 29-year-old right-hander to a Minor League deal in January and added him to their player pool earlier this month.

"We want to make sure we’re fully covered in every possible way and also knowing that we’re facing a team that’s going to run some righties out there probably forces you to lean in that direction a little bit of adding a righty if you have the opportunity to," Baldelli said. "We knew it was a possibility."