Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day on Wednesday, with every player, coach and umpire wearing No. 42 to honor the 79th anniversary of his historic debut.
According to the Associated Press, Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.
He won Rookie of the Year, was a six-time All-Star, and earned the National League MVP award in 1949.
According to the AP, Bob Kendrick said, “Every player of color who now enjoys our great game owes a debt of gratitude to this man.”
Tributes were held at various stadiums, including a ceremony at Dodger Stadium, where players from the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets gathered near a statue of Robinson.
“What he did was incredibly difficult in the most difficult circumstances you could ever imagine,” Kendrick said.
“He had to go out there and deal not only with racial hatred, but when he walked across those lines he carried 21 million black people on his back. If he had failed, an entire race of people would have failed. That’s an enormous pressure. How he did it with such grace, class and dignity is absolutely incredible. And no, we should never forget Jackie Robinson,” he said.
