He April 15 It is a date recorded with indelible ink in the history of baseball and world sports. In this 2025, the 78th anniversary of the debut of Jackie Robinson in the big leaguesa moment that changed forever the course of the MLB and civil rights in the United States.
As every year, all players will wear number 42 on their backs in honor of the legendary player of the Dodgers of Los Angeles.
Jackie Robinson: The man who broke the racial barrier in the MLB
In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African -American player to play in the majors of modern baseball, when he debuted with Brooklyn’s Dodgers. His arrival at the MLB meant the end of decades of racial segregation in the most emblematic professional sport of the US, and marked a before and after both inside and outside the diamond.
That first season was a milestone: Robinson won the rookie award of the year (then called simply “Rookie of the Year”) after hitting .297, stealing 29 bases and scoring 125 races. Its impact was immediate, not only in sports, but also as a symbol of resistance and overcoming in a time marked by discrimination.
Jackie Robinson’s Day: A tribute that unites the entire MLB
Since 2004, Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson’s day, a day dedicated to remembering her legacy. And since 2009, all players, managers, coaches and referees wear the number 42, the same Robinson used during his career, in a symbolic gesture of unity, respect and inspiration.
This Tuesday, as every year, the 30 MLB teams will be in action, and each player will carry the number 42 in Dodger blue, regardless of the original colors of their uniform. In addition, everyone will wear a patch with the “42” on the side of their caps, reaffirming the importance of this day in the sports calendar.
Special events in New York, Los Angeles and Florida
In Los Angeles, Dodgers will receive Rockies in Colorado in a special match in Honor Robinson.
In New York, Commissioner Rob Manfred and Rachel Robinson, widow of the legendary player, will receive young participants from the Nike Reviving Baseball Inner Cities program at the Jackie Robinson Museum.
In Vero Beach, Florida, the Jackie Robinson training complex will host a smaller leagues set between the Clearwater Threshers and the Palm Beach Cardinals in the historic Holman Stadium, where Robinson trained.
An eternal legacy
Robinson not only opened the doors for generations of African -American and Latin players in the MLB, but also inspired a cultural transformation in the United States. In 1997, his number 42 was permanently removed throughout the League, a distinction that no other player has received.
Jackie Robinson’s day is much more than a baseball celebration: it is a reminder that sport can be an engine of social change, and that the courage of a single man can tear down the highest walls.
