Remembering Ken Griffey Jr.'s Impact on Iconic Jackie Robinson Day Tradition

The Seattle Mariners, along with the rest of the teams around Major League Baseball, honored one of the greatest figures in the history of the game on Tuesday.

The date of April 15 was Jackie Robinson day and marked the 68th anniversary of when Robinson made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke down the color barrier.

All 30 major league teams have Robinson's uniform number — No. 42 — retired. That decision was made in 1997 on the 50th year of Robinson's debut.

The last player to wear that number throughout their career, C.C. Sabathia, retired in 2019 and was named one of three inductees into this year's National Baseball Hall of Fame class alongside Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki. Another Seattle legend is considered responsible for one of the biggest tributes for Robinson during his day.

Ken Griffey Jr. wore the inverse of Robinson's number, No. 24, throughout his career. But on the 60th anniversary of Robinson's iconic first game in 2007, Griffey Jr. (then with the Cincinnati Reds) requested to wear it. Two years later, MLB commissioner Bud Selig said everyone in the sport would be permitted to wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day. Griffey Jr. hit a home run the day No. 42 was worn by everybody in the league.