42

42 was Jackie Robinson's uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers when he broke the color barrier in 1947. It was retired by every team in baseball in 1997, on the 50th anniversary of Robinson's debut, although players already wearing the number, like Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees and Butch Huskey of the New York Mets, were allowed to keep it.

The number is reissued on Jackie Robinson Day (April 15). At first, players who requested so were allowed to wear it as a special tribute that day. In 2009, MLB announced that all players would wear number 42 that day.

The number served as the title of the movie 42, released in 2013, which is about Robinson.

Notable players who have worn this number

• Bobby Bolin
• Jerry Coleman
• Dave Henderson
• Ron Hodges
• Butch Huskey
• Ron Kittle
• Skip Lockwood
• Rick Mahler
• Mariano Rivera, retired by the New York Yankees
• Jackie Robinson, retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers and across Major League Baseball
• Sonny Siebert
• Bruce Sutter, retired by the St. Louis Cardinals
• Mo Vaughn

Further Reading

• "Each club's last player to wear iconic No. 42", mlb.com, April 14, 2022. [1]
• Ken Belson: "Rivera Is Taking Robinson's 42 to Its Last Stop", The New York Times, March 13, 2013. [2]
• Dan Cichalski: "After Jackie, wearing 42 took on new meaning", mlb.com, April 14, 2024. [3]