Jackie Robinson Day Observance On Friday, April 21
Bridgewater, New Jersey – The Somerset Patriots, the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate, will observe Jackie Robinson Day on Friday, April 21 at TD Bank Ballpark for the 6:35 pm game versus the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays).
Bridgewater, New Jersey – The Somerset Patriots, the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate, will observe Jackie Robinson Day on Friday, April 21 at TD Bank Ballpark for the 6:35 pm game versus the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays).
The Patriots will join teams throughout MLB and MiLB to honor the iconic ballplayer that became the first Black player to play in the majors when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.
Robinson also broke baseball’s color barrier in New Jersey when he played at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City on April 18, 1946 a member of the Montreal Royals (Brooklyn Dodgers) in an International League game. The event marked the first time that a Black baseball player had played in integrated baseball in more than six decades.
At the April 21 game, the Patriots will honor Robinson during a pre-game program that includes videos and a check presentation to the Negro League Museum.
There will be trivia, facts about Robinson on the scoreboard and a scavenger hunt throughout the ballpark to educate fans about his remarkable life and career for MyRewards points.
All fans are encouraged to wear his universally retired No. 42 jersey or apparel to the game to celebrate Robinson, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was a six-time All-Star, as well as National League MVP (1949).
The Patriots recently joined MiLB’s league-wide initiative, “The Nine,” a Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide. The program is named in honor of the No. 9 Robinson wore in his only minor league season with Montreal.
As part of “The Nine,” the Patriots will be honoring the New York Black Yankees at their Sunday, August 27 game at TD Bank Ballpark. The New York Black Yankees were a professional Negro League baseball team based in New York City, Paterson, New Jersey, and Rochester, New York from 1932 to 1948.
About the Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate and develop today’s top minor league talent into the pinstriped superstars of tomorrow for MLB’s winningest team. The Patriots are the reigning Eastern League Champions and play their home games at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ, where fans of all ages and levels of baseball fandom get to enjoy the unique experience that is minor league baseball. To learn more, visit: somersetpatriots.com.