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Clint Hurdle: “I still believe firmly there is going to be a day where there is a female player in the big leagues.”

Clint Hurdle

FILE - In this March 11, 2016, file photo, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle catches a baseball while hitting grounders to his infielders before a spring training baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, in Bradenton, Fla. The Pirates are hoping a better start leads to a better finish in 2016. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)

AP

Friday was Jackie Robinson Day, a day on which Major League Baseball remembers the impact Robinson had in breaking baseball’s color barrier in 1947 with the Dodgers. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle spoke about Robinson’s importance, not just with regards to race, but gender as well.

Via Matt Eisenberg of ESPNW:

“This isn’t just an African-American celebration. This is about the opening of doors for everybody,” Hurdle said, according to the Beaver County Times. “I still believe firmly there is going to be a day where there is a female player in the big leagues. I got that. Where it goes, I don’t know. I don’t believe I’ll be in the dugout to see it.”

Mo’ne Davis made waves with her dominance as a pitcher in the Little League World Series, and Justine Siegal served as a guest instructor for the Athletics’ Instructional League team last year. Meanwhile, major league front offices have become a bit more inclusive when it comes to hiring women. While the progress hasn’t been as swift as one would like, it’s progress nonetheless. Hopefully, Hurdle is right, and he’ll be in the dugout to see it.

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