Players, coaches and managers in Major League Baseball will continue the annual tradition of donning Jackie Robinson’s legendary No. 42 on April 15, but this year’s 75th anniversary will have an added twist: all 42ers will become Dodger color independent Blue is the primary color of the team.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, the organization for which Robinson built his entire groundbreaking career, will play the Cincinnati Reds at home on April 15, a day that marks 75 years since Robinson broke the color barrier on his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers has broken through. A little over three months later, on July 19, Dodger Stadium will host the All-Star Game, and the Robinson-related honors will continue for a different reason — his widow, Rachel, turns 100 that day.
MLB has put together a special tribute video titled “Play, Run, Win, Rise,” written by Eljon Wardally and narrated by Leslie Odom Jr., which will air April 15 at every host ballpark. with Robinson’s digital signature. Also, honor patches will be sewn onto sleeves and caps in addition to the Dodger Blue 42s that will be emblazoned on the backs of all uniformed staff.
New twist for Jackie Robinson this year, which marks the 75th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier: all 42ers will be “Dodger Blue” regardless of a team’s primary colors. Here are the Yankees as an example … pic.twitter.com/FCCuul0waP
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) April 4, 2022
Robinson, whose statue stands at the main entrance in the center field of Dodger Stadium, won the 1947 National League Rookie of the Year Award, was named MVP two years later, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. The Dodgers will reveal their own plans for Jackie Robinson Day at a later date.
“Our family is thrilled to see the many wonderful tributes to Jack’s historic moment 75 years ago,” Rachel Robinson said in a statement. “We will continue to honor his memory and legacy through our work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation. We are proud to have Major League Baseball and so many others as supporters of the young men and women we influence each year.”