Major League Baseball will again honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson today when all field personnel, including players and umpires, will wear Robinson's #42. It's a grand gesture to remember a man who changed the game for the better when he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.It will also be amusing to listen to the Phillies game on the radio this afternoon. Inevitably, Scott Franzke will ask his broadcast partner Larry Andersen who is playing a certain position, or who is on deck. Without hesitation, Andersen will deadpan, "I'm not sure, but it looks like #42."
Major League Baseball uniformly retired Robinson's #42 in 1997 during the 50th anniversary season of his debut. Anyone wearing the number upon its retirement was grandfathered in and that player would be permitted to wear #42 for the duration of his career. For that reason, the last active player to wear the number with the Phillies was relief pitcher Michael Jackson. Jackson signed with the Phillies in December 1999 as a free agent. He was injured at the tail end of Spring Training 2000 and never appeared in a game for the Phils during the 2000 season.
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