Friday marked the 69th anniversary of the day Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the occasion was celebrated by every team.
The Phillies held a pregame tribute and all MLB players wore No. 42.
This is a day of deep appreciation and pride for major-league players, especially African Americans.
"Everything he went through, the adversities, the turmoil, it is not easy for somebody to do that," Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard said before the game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. "For him to be able to do that and pave the way, not only for myself, to help change the country and views of the country, it speaks volumes.