Baseball Movies: 42 (2013)
Maybe tomorrow we’ll all wear 42.
Today, April 15th, is Jackie Robinson Day. It’s the day across all of Major League Baseball when all players wear Jackie’s iconic no. 42. Retired throughout the sport in 1997, it hasn’t been seen since the grandfathered-in Mariano Rivera retired in 2013. That is, of course, except for Jackie Robinson Day.
Though Ken Griffey Jr. is credited with the idea of wearing the retired number, it’s not exactly known how the ceremonial uniformity transpired. It’s not even known if the moment that inspired the number-wearing even happened at all.
Legend has it that Jackie’s teammate Pee Wee Reese once put his arm around him and declared, “Maybe tomorrow we’ll all wear 42. That way they won’t tell us apart.”
It’s a moment depicted in tall tales and even in children’s books. In the Little Golden Book about Jackie, author Frank L. Berrios writes, “Even some of Jackie’s teammates treated him badly. But others, like shortstop Pee Wee Reese, stood by him when times were tough.” This was also portrayed in the film of the same name, 2013’s 42, and has become the most memorable moment in Jackie’s definitive biopic.