Ken Griffey Jr. championed the idea that every player in Major League Baseball wear Jackie Robinson’s #42 on April 15, the anniversary of Robinson’s Major League debut. Griffey first wore #42 on April 15, 1997 at Cleveland, the 50th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. The idea was later adopted throughout MLB in 2009 by then-Commissioner of Major League Baseball Bud Selig.
