SportsBaseballBlue Jays

Entire Blue Jays team wears Jackie Robinson-themed No. 42 jerseys

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Apr 15 2024, 11:57 pm
Entire Blue Jays team wears Jackie Robinson-themed No. 42 jerseys
Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays looked a little different when they took the field on April 15 — but it was for a very good reason.

Today, in their contest against the New York Yankees, both rosters hit the field wearing No. 42 jerseys for the entire game. While a confused onlooker might question if they’d accidentally printed the same jersey several times over, it’s part of an annual tradition to offer baseball trailblazer Jackie Robinson.

“Always a great day on the calendar to see everybody running out there with 42 on their jersey,” Sportsnet announcer Dan Shulman shared at the top of the broadcast.

The two teams were part of the MLB’s celebrations for Jackie Robinson Day, which the league has celebrated since 2004, and honoured with No. 42 jerseys for all 30 teams since 2009. The date celebrates Robinson’s debut as the first African American player in Major League Baseball, making his debut on April 15, 1947, for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also sported a pair of specialty cleats for the game while the team warmed up in Robinson-themed “Breaking Barriers” T-shirts.

Already a star in four sports at UCLA — football, baseball, track and field, and basketball — before he made his MLB debut, Robinson is known for being one of America’s most iconic athletes. But some fans might not realize that before he became a household name across the world, a six-time MLB All-Star, and a World Series champion with Brooklyn, Robinson spent a season in the minor leagues playing for the now-defunct Montreal Royals in 1946.

The Yankees and Blue Jays continue their series on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Rogers Centre this week.

Adam LaskarisAdam Laskaris
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