Why Every MLB Player is Wearing Number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day Monday

Jackie Robinson was remembered throughout Major League Baseball Monday as section of the league’s annual “Jackie Robinson Day” celebrations. Robinson broke baseball’s “colour barrier” with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. The league has focused each and every April 15 considering that 2004 as a working day when each and every uniformed participant and mentor wears Robinson’s range 42.

Each yr delivers a new layer of remembrance to Robinson’s legacy, and 2024 has established to be no unique. In Los Angeles, a statue of a sliding Robinson sits exterior Dodger Stadium. Gamers from the Dodgers and Washington Nationals gathered all-around the statue in the stadium’s heart subject plaza Monday afternoon prior to their video game.

The Nationals and Dodgers are gathered at the statue pregame. Dave Martinez and Dave Roberts just finished talking.

Awesome instant. pic.twitter.com/EOAJIqDmkq

— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) April 15, 2024

It is just not the first calendar year Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and his counterpart have spoken to the team on the event of Jackie Robinson working day. Each and every year delivers a new twist on the baseball history lesson to a new team of players in Los Angeles.

Dave Roberts claims they’ve commenced a “neat tradition” of obtaining players from equally teams fulfill at the Jackie Robinson statue on Jackie Robinson Working day. pic.twitter.com/P6qkBvcU9W

— Vincent Samperio (@vincesince91) April 15, 2024

A further new twist this calendar year: A exclusive tribute online video titled “Pasadena Fields” was scheduled to air in all ballparks on Monday. The online video also was also showcased on the league’s official web-site, social platforms, and MLB.television.

MLB retired Robinson’s quantity in every ballpark in 1997. Selection 42 is however the only universally retired selection across the league. The selection was inevitably “grandfathered out” right until the final player to dress in the variety before its universal retirement — Yankees nearer Mariano Rivera — had retired himself in 2013.

Gamers and teams in different MLB towns embraced their own slice of Robinson’s historic legacy on Monday:

Tonight’s first pitch was thrown out by Gail Quarles, daughter of pioneer Hank Mason, the first Black pitcher to pitch in the key leagues for the Phillies in 1958 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/L0v9RHuTnB

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 15, 2024

Athletic apparel company Nike, the exceptional company of MLB jerseys, issued a new model of its Air Max 1 shoe Monday to honor Robinson.

In accordance to Intricate, the Air Max 1 ’86 retails for $150 and functions “a Brooklyn Dodgers-esque colour scheme. The upper functions a mixture of blue suede and nubuck panels that is offset by a gray suede mudguard. The shoe also arrives with a distinctive ’42’ diamond patch on the tongue and a gold lacelock connected to the shoelaces. Rounding out the search is a gum brown outsole.”

In Manhattan, MLB hosted a volunteer celebration at the Jackie Robinson Museum in collaboration with Foster Enjoy. Volunteers, comprised of MLB Central Place of work staff, assembled present containers and sweet situations for donation to children at a area foster care company.

In Queens, the Mets celebrated Jackie Robinson Working day with their 2nd-once-a-year Black Legacy Video game honoring former Black players and Jackie Robinson during the day. The team also hosted a Black Legacy panel featuring rappers and recording artists DJ Webstar & Mims to explore the influence of Jackie Robinson’s legacy on the world of rap.

David Robinson, Jackie’s son, threw out the ceremonial to start with pitch prior to the Mets’ match towards the Pittsburgh Pirates, caught by Butch Huskey. Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s 101-year-old wife, was also scheduled to be in attendance for the match and offered with bouquets from Mookie Wilson and supervisor Carlos Mendoza, as nicely as a particular video tribute.