LA Dodgers plan special night for Jackie Robinson Day

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.

“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.”

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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.

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.

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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.

Oval shaped portrait of a American baseball player Jackie Robinson as a young boy sitting on a chair, circa 1925.

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.

A team portrait of the Brooklyn Dodgers, autographed by players including Jackie Robinson and Gil Hodges, New York City, the 1950s.

Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson waits to bat during the 1952 World Series.

This undated file photo shows US baseball star Jackie Robinson signing a then-record contract to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in New York.

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.

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.

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.

This 1947 handout photo shows US baseball legend Jackie Robinson wearing his Montreal uniform, stepping into the Brooklyn Dodgers’ clubhouse for the first time.

An undated headshot of Jackie Robinson wearing his Boston Dodgers uniform and holding a bat.

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.

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.

This is a 1951 photo of Jackie Robinson, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, and Sharon Robinson, his daughter.

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.

From left, Johnny Jorgensen, Eddie Stnaky, Pee Wee Reese, and Jackie Robinson, all members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jackie Robinson, second from left, and Rachel Robinson, second from right, sit with their children at a resort pool.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Here’s how to watch the Dodgers play the Mets on Jackie Robinson Day: