MLB players and teams will honor Jackie Robinson in a new way this year

Major League Baseball has found a new way to honor the legend Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier for professional baseball.

The news: MLB players, managers, coaches and umpires will all wear Robinson’s jersey number, No. 42, today, which has happened every year since 2009, per the Associated Press.

• But this year, MLB players will wear No. 42 in Dodger blue, which is a change from previous years, when teams would wear the number in their regular colors.

Why it’s happening: The change comes as 2022 marks the 75th anniversary of Robinson joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, shattering the color barrier in MLB, according to the Associated Press.

• There will also be a 75th-anniversary logo on the umpire uniforms.

The bigger picture: Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, per NBC News.

• He had previously played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues before signing with the Dodgers’ minor league team in Montreal.
• Robinson then began playing for the Dodgers in 1947.

Read more: A different time: When Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier 60 years ago today, surprisingly, it came with little fanfare