Tampa Bay Rays to honor Jackie Robinson

“42” jerseys; a civil rights exhibit and some stunning art work among the features of this homestand

Tonight, the Tampa Bay Rays will commemorate the 72nd anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier in 1947 with all players and on-field personnel wearing specially-designed “42” T-shirts during batting practice and Robinson’s iconic number 42 on their jerseys. The game-worn No. 42 jerseys and caps will be available for auction at raysbaseball.com/auctions, with proceeds benefiting the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

Inside Tropicana Field at Gate 5, the Rays will also be featuring an exhibit, “Beaches, Benches and Boycotts,” an original exhibit of the Florida Holocaust Museum. The exhibit illuminates Tampa Bay’s struggle to achieve racial equality and the local leaders who changed the region in the wake of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

During the homestand, the Rays will be selling special Jackie Robinson merchandise, including hats, jerseys, socks and T-shirts. These items will be available for purchase at the Rays Republic Team Store.

On Saturday night, the Rays will also celebrate Jackie Robinson day as they’ll recognize community members who exemplify Jackie Robinson’s nine core values—courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment and excellence—with the Breaking Barriers Community Leader Award in a pregame ceremony.