Who Wore Number 42 In Baseball?
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Find out which Major League Baseball players have worn the number 42 on their jersey, and learn the story behind this significant number.
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was the first black player in Major League Baseball. He was also the first player to wear number 42. Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956. He was a six-time All-Star and was the National League MVP in 1949. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
First African American to play in MLB
The first African American to play Major League Baseball was Jackie Robinson, who debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Although other African American players had participated in professional baseball before Robinson, none had played in the major leagues since the 1800s. Robinson’s signing with the Dodgers ended a 60-year drought during which no black player was allowed to play in America’s premier baseball league.
Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. He grew up in Pasadena, California, and attended college at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1941, he left UCLA to pursue a career in professional baseball. He began his career playing for the Negro League’s Kansas City Monarchs but was drafted into the military during World War II. In 1945, he returned to baseball and played one season for the Montreal Royals, a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1947, Robinson made history by breaking baseball’s color barrier and becoming the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. He faced challenges and abuse from both teammates and opponents but excelled on the field, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1947 and helping lead the Dodgers to six World Series appearances over his 10 seasons with the team. After retiring from baseball in 1957, Robinson became an outspoken advocate for civil rights until his death in 1972.
Wore number 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Jackie Robinson was the first African American player in Major League Baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. He grew up in Pasadena, California. Robinson attended UCLA, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945 and played for their minor league team before being called up to the majors in 1947.
Robinson was a talented player. He had a great batting average and stole many bases. He was also a good fielder. But some people did not want African Americans to play baseball. They said that Robinson was not good enough to play in the major leagues. They said that he would not be able to handle the pressure of playing in front of white fans.
But Jackie Robinson proved them wrong. He became one of baseball’s best players. And he changed the game of baseball forever.
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera is the most famous player to have worn number 42 in baseball. He played his entire career with the New York Yankees, and is widely considered to be the greatest relief pitcher of all time. Rivera was a thirteen-time All-Star, and helped the Yankees win five World Series titles.
Wore number 42 for the New York Yankees
Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969), nicknamed “Mo” and “Sandman”, is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. A 13-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he is MLB’s career leader in saves (652) and games finished (952). Rivera spent most of his career as the Yankees’ closer and served as their principal pocketbook from 1997 to 2001 and again from 2004 to 2007.
In baseball history, only one player has worn the number 42 on his uniform for longer than Mariano Rivera: Jackie Robinson.
Rivera was signed by the Yankees organization in Panama in 1990, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. He became one of baseball’s most dominant relievers while helping propel the Yankees to five World Series championships. In 1999, Rivera won both the World Series Most Valuable Player Award and the American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award. Known for his playing with grace and class off of the field just as much as on it, Robinson’s number 42 was retired by all Major League Baseball teams in 1997; however any player already wearing it was allowed to keep doing so. On September 26, 2013, before a game at Yankee Stadium, Mariano Rivera was presented with a plaque by fellow PanamanianFormer President Mireya Moscoso commemorating his achievement as the last MLB player to wear Jackie Robinson’s number 42 full-time.”
Last MLB player to wear number 42
Mariano Rivera is the last Major League Baseball player to wear number 42 on a regular basis. MLB retired the number in 1997 to honor Jackie Robinson, who famously broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947. All players who were wearing 42 at the time were grandfathered in and allowed to keep wearing the number throughout their careers. Rivera, who played his final season in 2013, was the last player to do so.
Other Notable Players
Jackie Robinson famously wore number 42 when he broke the color barrier in baseball. But he’s not the only player to have worn the number 42. In this article, we’ll take a look at some other notable players who have worn the number 42.
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron, nicknamed “Hammer” or “Hammerin’ Hank,” is a retired American Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He served as the Atlanta Braves’ senior vice president from 2002 to 2007, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on its “100 Greatest Baseball Players” list. Aaron held the MLB record for career home runs for 33 years, and he still holds several other MLB offensive records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in 15 seasons. In his last 14 seasons with Atlanta, Aaron had a batting average over .300 eight times.
Mo’ne Davis
Davis was the first girl to play in the Little League World Series and just the 18th girl in history. In 2014, she became the first girl to pitch a shutout in LLWS history.
While playing for the Taney Dragons, Davis led her team to a 6-0 victory over Newark National (Delaware), pitching a two-hitter and also blasting a two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning.
In addition to being a talented pitcher, Davis is also a skilled infielder and bats cleanup for Taney. She dreams of one day playing professionally for the Yankees or Phillies.
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is an American politician who served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American to be elected to the presidency. He previously served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.