Every April 15th, MLB pays homage to one of its most important players. All players and coaches wear the No. 42 to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day in honor of the Los Angeles Dodgers legend.
Players, managers and coaches on all 30 MLB teams will wear a Dodger blue No. 42 on the back of their uniforms Tuesday. Players, managers, coaches and umpires will also wear hats featuring a No. 42 patch as a tribute to Robinson.
Robinson was the first Black player in MLB after breaking the color barrier in 1947. He endured racial abuse and antagonism from fans, players and opposing managers when he took the field. He excelled on the field, winning the Rookie of the Year award in his first season in the majors. Robinson continued to play at a high rate, earning six All-Star appearances and winning an MVP award in MLB before being enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1962.
Robinson opened the door for other Black players to join MLB. Given his contributions to the game — both on and off the field — Robinson's No. 42 is retired across all 30 teams.
One day a year, however, MLB relaxes that rule to celebrate Robinson. Here's everything you need to know about Jackie Robinson Day.
Why is April 15 Jackie Robinson Day?
MLB chose to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 to mark the anniversary of his first game with the Dodgers. Robinson officially broke the color barrier April 15, 1947. On that date, Robinson started at first base and hit second in a 5-3 win over the Boston Braves. Robinson went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt in his first game in the majors.
Why do players wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day?
Robinson donned the No. 42 as a player, so players wear the number on Jackie Robinson Day as a tribute to the Dodgers legend. The number was retired across the league in 1997. At the time, any player currently wearing No. 42 was allowed to continue wearing the number until their playing career concluded. No new players would be allowed to wear No. 42.
The last MLB player to wear the No. 42 for an entire season was New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who wore the number through the 2013 MLB season.
When did Jackie Robinson Day start?
A few years after retiring Robinson's number across the league, MLB decided to allow players to wear it for one day as a tribute to Robinson. In 2004, the league established Jackie Robinson Day, which was aimed to be a celebration of the player who broke MLB's color barrier.
Festivities were held at 13 ballparks to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day in 2004. The following season, when then-commissioner Bud Selig announced the league would celebrate Jackie Robinson Day every season, all 30 teams took part in the celebration.
While Jackie Robinson Day was established in 2004, players didn't start wearing the No. 42 in honor of Robinson until 2007. Former Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. asked Selig if he could wear the number on April 15 in honor of Robinson. Selig granted Griffey's request. The commissioner then encouraged others across the league to wear the number.
The number of players to wear No. 42 on April 15 grew over the years. In 2009, the league decided all players, managers and coaches would wear No. 42 on April 15 in tribute to Robinson. In 2022, the league announced all uniforms would feature a Dodger blue No. 42, regardless of the team's normal colors.