Jackie Robinson Day

Lore & Background

Initiated for the first time on April 15, 2004, the festivity is a result of Robinson's memorable career, best known for becoming the first black major league baseball player of the modern era in 1947. His debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers (today's Los Angeles Dodgers) ended approximately 80 years of baseball segregation, also known as the baseball color line, or color barrier. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Shea Stadium was one of the prominent venues hosting the event, having commemorated the retirement of Robinson's number 42 jersey in 1997.

In Their Own Story

The California sun glares off Dodger Stadium's blue seats, but the usual roar of anticipation is traded for a hushed, electric reverence. Across the diamond, the familiar Dodgers blue and white gives way to a singular wave: every player, coach, and umpire clad in pinstripes bearing the number 42. A veteran pitcher adjusts his cap on the mound, the fabric feeling heavier than usual, as if stitching him directly into the history of 1947. In the stands, an elderly fan wipes a tear, no longer just watching a game but witnessing a living bridge to the man who endured slurs and threats with stoic grace to bring baseball to Chavez Ravine. As the umpire signals for play, the silence breaks not with a cheer, but with a collective breath held in honor of the legacy that made this stadium possible.

Reader's Guide

Jackie Robinson Day is observed annually on April 15 across MLB. In 2004, the first official league-wide Jackie Robinson Day took place at all 13 ballparks where games were scheduled. Since 2005, every MLB ballpark in the United States celebrates the day. In 2007, Commissioner Bud Selig encouraged clubs to have a player wear number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day, and more than 240 players wore the number that year, including entire team rosters of the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Did You Know?

• Jackie Robinson made his major league debut on April 15, 1947, for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.
• The number 42 was retired across all major league teams in 1997 at Shea Stadium, marking the 50th anniversary of Robinson's first game.
• The last player to wear number 42 regularly was Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, who retired at the end of the 2013 season.
• In 2007, Ken Griffey Jr. called Commissioner Selig to ask for permission to wear number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day, and Selig embraced the gesture.