The Last Number 42

By Frank Solares

Every Player in the Major Leagues will wear number 42 as a tribute to Jackie Robinson.

The Yankees should wear Elston Howards number as a tribute to Jackie Robinson, for making it possible for him to be on the team. He wore number 32 for all you new Yankee fans.

Mariano Rivera is the last major league to ever wear the number 42 on a daily basis. Rivera is the greatest reliever of all time and the Yankees will never replace him. His number will be retired next to Jackie Robinson and without Jackie braking the color barrier no other minority baseball player had the opportunity to join the league.


Born: January 31, 1919 in Cairo Georgia, Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson made his MLB debut April 15, 1947 for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Making him the first man of any color to join Major League Baseball, as well as making it possible for a player like Mariano to play in the Majors.

According to Wiki Jackie was the first African-American television analyst in Major League Baseball, and the first African-American vice-president of a major American corporation. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American-owned/controlled financial institution based in Harlem, New York. In recognition of his achievements on and off the field, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

The others first according to http://www.baseball-reference.com/

Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers, NL April 15, 1947
Larry Doby Cleveland Indians, AL July 5, 1947
Hank Thompson St. Louis Browns, AL July 17, 1947
Satchel Paige Cleveland Indians, AL July 9, 1948
Monte Irvin New York Giants, NL July 8, 1949
Hank Thompson
Sam Jethroe Boston Braves, NL April 18, 1950
Minnie Miñoso Chicago White Sox, AL May 1, 1951
Bob Trice Philadelphia Athletics, AL Sept. 13, 1953
Ernie Banks Chicago Cubs, NL Sept. 17, 1953
Curt Roberts Pittsburgh Pirates, NL April 13, 1954
Tom Alston St. Louis Cardinals, NL April 13, 1954
Nino Escalera Cincinnati Reds, NL April 17, 1954
Chuck Harmon
Carlos Paula Washington Senators, AL Sept. 6, 1954

Elston Howard New York Yankees, AL April 14, 1955

John Kennedy Philadelphia Phillies, NL April 22, 1957
Ozzie Virgil, Sr. Detroit Tigers, AL June 6, 1958
Pumpsie Green Boston Red Sox, AL July 21, 1959