2022 marks 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier

Apr. 15—April 15, 1947 is a day that will be remembered forever in baseball.

Jackie Robinson, at the age of 28, made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, playing first base. Robinson became the first Black player to appear in a Major League Baseball game.

Robinson went 0-3, but reached base on an error and scored a run in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory over the Boston Braves.

"I feel like it was a major breakthrough and just a tremendous change for the game," local baseball historian Lamar Garrard said of Robinson's debut.

The moment was a cultural touchstone for the game of baseball, which had previously been comprised completely of white players. While Robinson endured plenty of racism from fans and other teams, he persevered and ended up having a 10-year Hall of Fame career with the Dodgers.

He was a seven-time All-Star, while winning Rookie of the Year in 1947 and the Most Valuable Player award in 1949, when he led the National League in batting average. Robinson was a versatile defensive player, playing first, second and third base.

Robinson's Dodgers won the pennant six times in his 10-year career, winning the 1955 World Series over the New York Yankees in seven games.

Garrard pointed out that baseball led the charge in integration, as the Civil Rights movement didn't start until the 1950s, years after Robinson's debut.

"I feel like baseball led the way for cultural change in America," he said.

After Robinson, four other Black players debuted in MLB that season: Larry Doby, with the Cleveland Indians, Hank Thompson and Willard Brown with the St. Louis Browns, and Dan Bankhead with the Dodgers.

"(Black players) were overdue and they were definitely in their element to be in the majors," Garrard said.

Ransom Jackson, a two-time MLB All-Star, played with Robinson on the Dodgers in 1956 and was a friend of Garrard's.

On playing with Robinson, Jackson told Garrard, "'Lamar, Jackie was such a good athlete that he could play anything anywhere.' I thought that was a great compliment coming from an already two-time All-Star."

Today, all MLB teams honor Robinson's legacy by designating April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day. All players, coaches, managers and umpires wear Robinson's number 42 on their jerseys instead of their usual number, a tradition started in 2009.

Number 42 was retired league-wide in 1997, with players wearing it at the time grandfathered in. Mariano Rivera, of the New York Yankees, was the last player wearing the number when he retired in 2013.

For the 75th anniversary this year, Jackie Robinson Day has a special twist. The 42 on everyone's jerseys will be in Dodger blue instead of a team's usual colors, the first time that has been the case.

"Our family is thrilled to see the many wonderful tributes to Jack's historic moment 75 years ago," Rachel Robinson, Robinson's widow, said in a statement though Major League Baseball. "We will continue to honor his memory and legacy through our work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation. We are proud to have Major League Baseball and so many others as supporters of the young men and women we impact each year."

"(Robinson's debut) was great for the game, great for the country and definitely raised the level of the game," Garrard said.