Seventy-nine years after Jackie Robinson first took the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers, every player and coach in MLB took the field Wednesday wearing No. 42.
MLB celebrated its annual Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, an occasion honoring the man who broke baseball’s color barrier. The event goes back to 2004, with the tradition of wearing No. 42 beginning with Ken Griffey Jr.’s request to don the retired number in 2007. Soon, all the players were doing it.
The day holds special significance for Robinson’s Los Angeles Dodgers, who were hosting the New York Mets, the team that plays closest to Robinson’s old stomping grounds in Brooklyn. Prior to the game, the two teams met at the Robinson statue outside Dodger Stadium in honor of the civil rights hero.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, one of only two African-American managers in MLB alongside Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox, addressed both teams and spoke of Robinson’s character:
“You look at New York, you look at Los Angeles, probably the two most diverse cities in the world. Jackie would look back and be very proud that the guys that are suiting up tonight reflect his dream, his vision on what equality, unity look like.
“Jackie loved baseball so much, and we love things so much, but are we willing to take on hate from your coworkers, your teammates, your coaches, opponents, people that work for you, people that are rooting against you and still go out there and play and do something that you love to do? He was willing to pay that price.”
Also in attendance was Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. He provided a history lesson, explaining that Robinson’s entry into MLB helped spark the civil rights movement:
“We make the rather bold assertion that Jackie’s breaking of the color barrier wasn’t just part of the civil rights movement, it was the beginning of the civil rights movement. You have to remember: This is 1947. So this is well before those more noted civil rights occurrences.
“This is before Brown v. Board of Education. This is before Rosa Parks’ refusal to move to the back of the bus. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. … was merely a sophomore at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, when Jackie signed his contract to play in the Dodgers organization. Our very own president Harry S. Truman would not integrate the armed forces until a year after Jackie. So for all intents and purposes, this is what started the ball of social progress rolling in this country. Baseball.”
The Dodgers also ensured their fans would be wearing No. 42 for the game:
The Robinson tributes, of course, stretched well beyond the Dodgers and Mets. Every team honored Robinson in its own way, such as welcoming youth programs to stadiums, making donations to organizations and hosting informative events.
Even the inside of caps was used as a way to recognize Robinson:
New York Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra took his look a step further:
Teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. had his own tribute:
By and large, players seem legitimately excited to wear the No. 42, including Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout:
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