Menifee PONY Baseball
Jackie Robinson Day(s) -- Saturday, April 9
Join MPB in honoring Jackie Robinson by adding his number to your jersey sleeve. We are asking for a minimum tax deductable donation of $20 for a team-pack of 15 patches, and $2/each for additional patches. ALL PROCEEDS will go to the new MPB Jackie Robinson Scholarship Program to help low-income families with player registration fees. We have enough team-packs for all MPB teams, but individual patches are limited. Receipts including our tax ID information will be emailed upon completion of order. IMPORTANT-These are intended as orders for teams only, and only one set should be ordered per team, as we don't have enough to sell more than that.
CLICK HERE to view our Menifee Pony Jackie Robinson Scholarship Program information page.
Why April 9? On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier to became the first modern day African American player to play in Major League Baseball. We are shut down on the weekend of the 15th & 16th so we're going to start it the weekend before.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MLB's #42:
- Jackie was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia
- Moved to and grew up in Pasadena, California in 1920
- Lettered in four sports at John Muir High School (also played for tennis team)
- Enrolled at UCLA in 1939 and became the first Bruin to ever letter in four sports, winning an NCAA long jump championship along the way
- Drafted into the army in 1942, later becoming second lieutenant in the 761st "Black Panthers" Tank Battalion
- Signed with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945 to play professional baseball, earning $400 per month
- Later that year signed with MLB's Brooklyn Dodgers organization and started playing for their minor league Montreal Royals team
- April 15, 1947, Jackie plays his first game for the Dodgers in front of 26,636 spectators, of which over 14,000 were African American
- Played his last game in 1956, and was elected to MLB Hall of Fame in 1962
- April 15, 1997, MLB retires Jackie Robinsons #42, making his the only number ever retired in MLB history, and ensuring no player will use #42 again