Rare Footage of Jackie Robinson in His First Spring Training Game

Something special for Jackie Robinson Day.
Some rare footage of Jackie Robinson, playing his first Spring Training Game is floating around on the internet. He can be recognized by his uniform number 9.

I hear you say: “Number 9? Yes number 9. During his time in the Minor Leagues with the Montreal Royals, Robinson wore number 9 instead of the famous 42.

If it wasn’t for Branch Rickey, Afro-American players would not have had a chance to play in MLB for another 20 years or so. So in a certain way, it was the ultimate DEI, something there is a lot of fuss about nowadays.

As a baseball history nut, I feast on footage like this.

Enjoy.