April 15th Jackie Robinson Day in the Major Leagues

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The Date was April 15,1947; on that day Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball when he suited up for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In honor of Robinson, Major league baseaball retired his jersey in 1997 and in 2007 declared the 15th of April Jackie Robinson Day.

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, The first African-American player to play in the Major Leagues

In 2009 every big league player and all on field personnel started wearing Robinson’s retired number 42  on this day to commemorate his legacy.

 


Today every player in the Major Leagues will wear number 42, which was Robinson’s number. But on that day in 1947 , the 28 year old rookie  wearing that number may have felt the weight of the world on his shoulders as he went 0 for 4 at the plate with 3  RBIs (Runs Batted In) helpingthe Dodgers  beat the Boston Braves 5-3. Robinson’s appearances at the plate were not as significant as the  fact that he was even in the game as a black man integrating the big leagues.

 

 

Robinson who started his professional baseball career in 1944 playing in the Negro Leagues with the Kansas City Monarchs. Signed with the Montreal Royals ( Brooklyn Dodgers farm team) in 1945 and he crossed the color line in the Major leagues in 1947, Jackie played 10 years with Brooklyn before  he retired at the age of 37 in 1957. Jackie Roosevlet Robinson was inducteed into the MLB Hall of Fame on January 23,1962.