A lot was going on at Dodger Stadium on Friday night in addition to the traditional fireworks. April 15, 2022, marked the 75th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, changing the league – and history – forever, making it possible for other players of color to enter the majors. Although MLB has been celebrating this accomplishment since 2004, it wasn’t until 2009 that all players, coaches, and umpires all began wearing the number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day – regardless of team affiliation – to commemorate the achievements of Jackie Robinson.
The pregame opening ceremonies included honoring Jackie’s wife, Rachel Robinson, now 99 years old, and their son David for Jackie’s legacy and impact on the sport and the world. Videos of Robinson’s Hall of Fame career were shown on the jumbotrons before the game, and the first 40,000 attendees received a commemorative Jackie Robinson jersey presented by UCLA Health.
In addition to every player wearing Jackie’s number league-wide, they were announced as “Number 42” by Dodger Stadium PA announcer Todd Leitz when they stepped up to the plate. Team lineups on the stadium scoreboard also reflected this to pay tribute to the Dodgers Hall of Fame second baseman. In all, it made for a pretty surreal and festive evening.
As the matchup got underway, there were some other notable callouts from Friday night’s 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner extended his MLB-leading hitting streak to 26-games with a third-inning RBI triple into the right-field corner, treating fans to one of his signature (and effortless) slides into third base. He also singled in the bottom of the seventh inning to improve his early-season batting average to an even .300.
Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux also has an impressive night. He singled in the third inning and tripled in the bottom of the fifth. He would come in to score on both – on Turner’s triple in the third inning and on a bases-loaded walk of Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner in the fifth. He added a single in the sixth inning to improve his team-leading batting average to an outstanding .381 with an OPS of .1129 in the Dodgers now seven-day-old 2022 season.
To conclude the evening, new Dodgers right-hander Craig Kimbrel entered the game in at the top of the ninth inning to close the game in front of the loud Dodger Stadium crowd of 51,891. This was Kimbrel’s Dodgers debut at the stadium. He previously pitched in his new uniform on the road on April 8th in Colorado on Opening Day against the Rockies.
With their second win in as many days over the Reds, there was a lot to cheer about at The Ravine. For the Los Angeles faithful who attend regularly and appreciate the music that keeps the energy levels high (as well as playing the walk-up music for Dodgers batters), Dodger Stadium’s own DJ Severe celebrated his birthday along with the rest of the day’s festivities. And the ever-popular postgame Friday Night Fireworks was the icing on the cake after the Dodgers 3-1 win.
With the win, the Dodgers remain tied for first place in the NL West with the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, with identical 5-2 records.
The Dodgers wrap up their four-game Home Opener series with the Reds on Sunday before hosting the Atlanta Braves for three games. After a Thursday off-day, they hit the road again for a three-game series in San Diego against the aforementioned Padres at Petco Park, followed by three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. They will then return home to open a three-game interleague series with the Detroit Tigers on April 29th before welcoming in The Hated Ones for a brief two-game series beginning on May 3rd.
Here’s to the Boys in Blue keeping this momentum as they head into the weekend.
Let’s go Dodgers!