April 15 is celebrated across Major League Baseball as a commemoration of the day that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. And for the Los Angeles Dodgers — the team that Robinson debuted went onto play his entire 10-year career with — that day always carries a little more weight.
Every year on Jackie Robinson Day, a hold a pregame moment of reflection is held with both the Dodgers and the visiting team (in this year’s case, the New York Mets) gathering at the eponymous player’s statue in the centerfield plaza at Dodger Stadium.
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“This is not a one-day situation,” Roberts said at last year’s ceremony. “It’s Jackie Robinson’s day for breaking the color barrier, but this is like an everyday sort of mindset, appreciation.”
MORE: LA Dodgers are MLB’s melting pot, with complex history to show
Members of the Robinson family and other invited guests usually attend as well; NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke at the gathering in 2025. This year’s scheduled guests include Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars and Robinson’s granddaughters, Sonya Pankey and Ayo Robinson, along with Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick.
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In addition to wearing Robinson’s iconic No. 42 like all 29 other clubs, the Dodgers take it a step further by swapping out their interlocking LA for the Brooklyn B on their hats.
Among other plans for the game itself, the UCLA women’s basketball team — fresh off their national championship and a record six players selected in the WNBA draft — will throw out the first pitch with their trophy in hand. A commemorative 42 jersey will also be given out to fans in attendance.
Even the Dodgers’ opponent on Wednesday, the Mets, holds significance as they were created to fill a void left after two former New York teams — Dodgers and Giants — relocated to the West Coast in the 1950s.
MORE: How Dodgers continue to invest in Jackie Robinson legacy
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
American baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919 – 1972) during his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, on August 28, 1949.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
American baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919 – 1972) during his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, on August 28, 1949.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
Oval shaped portrait of a American baseball player Jackie Robinson as a young boy sitting on a chair, circa 1925.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
American baseball player Jackie Robinson tends to his daughter Sharon in her baby carriage as wife Rachel looks on in the backyard of their home in Stamford, Connecticut, circa 1951.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
A team portrait of the Brooklyn Dodgers, autographed by players including Jackie Robinson and Gil Hodges, New York City, the 1950s.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson waits to bat during the 1952 World Series.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
This undated file photo shows US baseball star Jackie Robinson signing a then-record contract to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in New York.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
This 1945 handout photo shows baseball legend Jackie Robinson wearing the Kansas City Monarchs uniform. Robinson has been chosen to receive posthumously March 2, 2005, the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award Congress can bestow on a US civilian, for his accomplishments on the baseball diamond, as well as “his lifetime of breaking down barriers and his unending fight for justice,” officials on Capitol Hill said in an earlier press release. US Senator John Kerry and US Representative Richard Neal, who co-sponsored legislation honoring Robinson, will be joined by the ballplayer’s widow, Rachel Robinson, US President George W. Bush, and congressional leaders at the ceremony. Robinson broke baseball’s “color line,” becoming the first African American to play in the Major Leagues when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Officials in Congress said, however, that he is also being honored for his contributions to the broader struggle for civil rights.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
During a Barnstorming game, Jackie Robinson signed a baseball for Larry Brown at Martin” ‘s Stadium in Memphis (early to mid-50s of African-American significant leaguers against the Memphis Red Sox). Brown was a catcher and manager for the Red Sox over several decades and is featured in the film.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
The first African-Americans to appear in an All-Star game, from left to right, Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians, Don Newcombe of the Dodgers, and Jackie Robinson of the Dodgers.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
This 1947 handout photo shows US baseball legend Jackie Robinson wearing his Montreal uniform, stepping into the Brooklyn Dodgers’ clubhouse for the first time.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
An undated headshot of Jackie Robinson wearing his Boston Dodgers uniform and holding a bat.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
Jackie Robinson crouches by the base and prepares to catch a ball in 1951. Throughout the course of his baseball career, Robinson played several positions on the infield as well as serving as outfielder.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman Jackie Robinson got the call from umpire Babe Pinelli for tagging out Cincinnati Reds infielder Eddie Miller, one month after Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
This is a 1951 photo of Jackie Robinson, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, and Sharon Robinson, his daughter.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
A historic photograph of Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson, taken during spring training in Cuba, 1947 (credited to The Jackie Robinson Center for Physical Culture), on display at the Baseball Museum inside Keyspan Field, home of the minor league baseball team The Brooklyn Cyclones in Brooklyn, New York on Sept. 14, 2007. The last game before the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles was at Ebbets Field 50 years ago, on Sept. 24, 1957.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
From left, Johnny Jorgensen, Eddie Stnaky, Pee Wee Reese, and Jackie Robinson, all members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
Jackie Robinson, second from left, and Rachel Robinson, second from right, sit with their children at a resort pool.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey talking to his second sacker Jackie Robinson at a team training camp in Vero Beach, Florida on March 17, 1949.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
American baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919 – 1972) grounds a ball in first place while warming up for an exhibition game against the New York Yankees, Ebbets Field, NYC, in the 1950s.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
American baseball player Jackie Robinson and his wife Rachel play with son Jackie Jr. (L) and daughter Sharon in the backyard of their home in Stamford, Connecticut, circa 1951.
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
Portrait of Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team members poses in the dugout, 1954. From left, Americans Carl Furillo (1922 – 1989) (#6) and Gil Hodges (1924 – 1972) (#14), Cuban Sandy Amoros (1930 – 1992) (#15), and Americans Jackie Robinson (1919 – 1972) (#42), Duke Snider (#4), Pee Wee Reese (1918 – 1990) (#1), Jim Gilliam (1928 – 1978) (#19), Pete Wojey (1919 – 1991) (#35), and manager Walter Alston (1911 – 1984) (#24).
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Jackie Robinson: A look at the life and career of MLB trailblazer
American baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919 – 1972) playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers on August 28, 1949.
How to watch the Dodgers vs. Mets on Jackie Robinson Day
The finale of the Dodgers’ homestand vs. Mets will be televised nationally on ESPN on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:10 p.m. PT. In another cool wrinkle for Jackie Robinson Day, the game will be called by Joe Buck, who left FOX Sports to helm the “Monday Night Football” booth at ESPN in March 2022.
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Here’s how to watch the Dodgers play the Mets on Jackie Robinson Day:
Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Time: 7:10 p.m. PT (10:10 p.m. ET)
Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, Fubo
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From Trolleys to Tinseltown: Follow the Dodgers’ baseball run through the ages
Picher Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers winds up to throw a pitch against the Minnesota Twin in game 7 of the 1965 World Series, Oct.14, 1965 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. The Dodgers won the series 4 games to 3. Koufax was the series MVP and played for the Dodgers from 1955-66.
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From Trolleys to Tinseltown: Follow the Dodgers’ baseball run through the ages
Picher Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers winds up to throw a pitch against the Minnesota Twin in game 7 of the 1965 World Series, Oct.14, 1965 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. The Dodgers won the series 4 games to 3. Koufax was the series MVP and played for the Dodgers from 1955-66.
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From Trolleys to Tinseltown: Follow the Dodgers’ baseball run through the ages
Starting pitcher Orel Hersheiser leaps into the arms of catcher Rick Dempsey and at right is first baseman Franklin Stubbs of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after beating the Oakland As in game 6 to win the World Series on Oct. 20, 1988 in Oakland, California.
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From Trolleys to Tinseltown: Follow the Dodgers’ baseball run through the ages
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kirk Gibson celebrates his game-winning two run homer against the Oakland Athletics as he rounds the bases at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles during the first game of the World Series, in this Oct. 15, 1988 photo.
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From Trolleys to Tinseltown: Follow the Dodgers’ baseball run through the ages
Dodgers manager Joe Torre (L) greets former manager Tommy Lasorda during pre-game activities at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before the MLB interleague exhibition baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox in Los Angeles March 29, 2008. Almost 115,000 people bought tickets to watch the Dodgers celebrate the 50th anniversary of their move
to Los Angeles, setting a U.S. baseball crowd record.
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From Trolleys to Tinseltown: Follow the Dodgers’ baseball run through the ages
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner celebrates with the Commissioner’s Trophy after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series in game six of the 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Oct 27, 2020.
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From Trolleys to Tinseltown: Follow the Dodgers’ baseball run through the ages
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning of game four of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium on Oct 17, 2025. Ohtani hit three home runs and pitched six scoreless innings in the Los Angeles DodgersÕ 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NLCS in a historic achievement.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Los Angeles Dodgers’ plans to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day
