Jackie Robinson Day
Every April 15, MLB celebrates Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier.
About Jackie Robinson Day
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Baseball's color barrier when he made his historic MLB debut. Every year on April 15, Baseball honors Jackie's legacy by celebrating his life, values and accomplishments. The extensive and unified League-wide show of support has included retiring Jackie's number throughout the Majors in 1997; dedicating April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day each year since 2004; and requesting that every player and all on-field personnel wear his No. 42 during games scheduled on Jackie Robinson Day since 2009.
Join the Miami Marlins in celebrating Jackie Robinson Day online with the activities and resources below.
2020 Jackie Robinson Day
MLB x JRF Educational Initiative
The Jackie Robinson Foundation has launched the new Jackie Robinson Day Virtual Learning Hub, a platform to deliver multi-generational Jackie Robinson-themed educational programming, with resources made available to educators, parents and students in grades K-12. In addition to educational activities broken out by age group addressing different aspects of Jackie Robinson’s legacy, the Hub features video vignettes of Sharon Robinson and MLB players reading excerpts of Robinson’s Jackie Robinson: American Hero, conversational prompts for in-home discussion, and more. Click here to get to the hub.
Jackie kids content
In parallel with the Jackie Robinson Foundation educational initiative, MLB has several activities aimed at keeping at-home kids busy while educating them on Jackie’s life.
Social
Fans are invited to celebrate the day and post recorded messages and photos on social media of what Jackie means to them using the official hashtag (#Jackie42).
Throughout the day, MLB will feature custom, original Jackie-inspired content across MLB’s social media accounts (MLB, Cut4, PlayBall, MajorLeagueLife, MLBDevelops), including a timeline graphic of Jackie’s life, interactive games for kids, eye-catching graphics, and more. Featured participants will include Major League players, student-athletes of MLB’s diversity-focused youth initiatives (e.g. the Hank Aaron Invitational, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities, MLB Youth Academy, Trailblazer Series), and more.
MLB also will stream the 1955 World Series Film at 7 p.m. ET on MLB YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, as well as Las Mayores Facebook and Twitter.
#TheClubhouse with DJ Envy
Baseball fan and award-winning disc jockey DJ Envy will host a special set on Instagram on April 15, from 7-9 p.m. ET, to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. MLB players and celebrity guests will make special appearances throughout the set. IG: @DJEnvy
MLB.com
7 a.m.: 2012 Jackie Robinson Day (Padres vs. Dodgers) with highlights including a home run by Matt Kemp, a triple play by the Dodgers defense and a walk-off home run by Dee Gordon.
11 a.m.: 1955 World Series Film, highlighting the first World Series title in Dodgers franchise history and the only championship in Brooklyn. The film also features Jackie’s famous steal of home against the New York Yankees.
12 p.m.: Letters To Jackie MLB Network special, which focuses on Jackie’s role in the American civil rights movement, primarily after he retired from baseball. The story is told in Jackie’s own words, with letters he wrote throughout his lifetime to his wife, Rachel, his children, pen pals and political figures such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1 p.m.: April 15, 1997. Game & ceremony at Shea Stadium (Dodgers vs. Mets) featuring the historic moment when Commissioner Emeritus Allan H. (Bud) Selig retired Jackie’s No. 42 league-wide alongside Rachel Robinson and President Bill Clinton.
4 p.m.: 2019 Jackie Robinson Day (Mets vs. Phillies) with highlights including Commissioner Manfred and Jamie Foxx participating in the ceremonial first pitch, and Bryce Harper and Robinson Canó.
MLB Network
Memorable Jackie Robinson Day games and new episodes of Play Ball and MLB Tonight presented by Camping World will be part of MLB Network’s day-long celebration of Robinson on Wednesday. To complement its programming, MLB Network has produced a new spot dedicated to Robinson, which can be seen here. MLB Network’s programming will begin Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET with a New York Yankees' victory on Jackie Robinson Day in 2010, which featured a two-home run game from eight-time All-Star Robinson Canó, who was named after Robinson.
A special Play Ball episode, which features a new interview with Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. discussing Robinson's legacy will follow at 11:30 a.m. ET. The back-and-forth Pirates at Cubs game on Jackie Robinson Day in 2017, which featured a combined six home runs and celebrated the 70-year anniversary of Robinson’s Major League debut, will air at 12 p.m. ET. Former NL MVP Matt Kemp’s standout performance for the Dodgers against the Padres on Jackie Robinson Day in 2012 will conclude the marathon of games at 3 p.m. ET.
MLB Network’s Fran Charles, Dan Plesac and Harold Reynolds will be part of a special hour-long MLB Tonight presented by Camping World dedicated to Robinson at 6 p.m. ET, followed by Ken Burns’ two-part documentary on Robinson at 7 p.m. ET.
The Jackie Robinson Foundation
For more than 50 years, the foundation has continued Robinson's commitment to equal opportunity by addressing the achievement gap in higher education.