Annual Jackie Robinson Classic gives SoFlo community lasting memories

Dy’lan Daniels fell one win shy of stepping foot on the loanDepot park field as a teenage ballplayer.

Daniels, who was a member of the Marlins’ RBI program for three years of high school before collegiate ball and the Pecos League, saw his time arrive years later as the head coach of his alma mater, North Miami Beach High School, in the annual Jackie Robinson Classic.

“That was just crazy,” said Daniels, whose team tied Homestead, 7-7, in 2025. “Being able to step on the field, touch grass; I’m on the same field as a professional player. I was just more so happy with my guys. My guys got to experience something they probably never will experience ever again, being able to be in that moment, playing in that stadium, playing in front of our fans. That was just beautiful. I show those pictures to everyone. I have those pictures plastered around my room. It was just a great experience. People bring it up every day.”

According to Angela Smith, the Marlins’ senior director of community initiatives, the Miami Marlins Foundation initially wanted to do a Black History Month Classic, but the timing of high school baseball made it better suited for the latter part of the season.

That’s how the idea of the Jackie Robinson Classic presented by Nike, which has taken place within a week either before or after Jackie Robinson Day (April 15), came to be. The inaugural matchup in 2022 featured an all-Dade contest between Miami Northwestern and North Miami Beach. This April 14 will mark the fifth iteration, which will pit Miami Senior High against Booker T. Washington High.

And it’s not just a game but a full big league experience provided to the student-athletes.

Both teams arrive to the ballpark in a charter bus and get set up in the visitors’ clubhouse, where each player has his nameplate at a locker. The left scoreboard is activated and Marlins Vision features the headshot of the player up to bat. There’s music, a first pitch, a national anthem and a public address announcer for the game, which is open to the public. The band and dance teams can perform.

Augusto Mendoza, a junior center fielder for North Miami Beach, had only ever been to the ballpark once before: to watch Venezuela beat the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

“What I remember the most is walking onto the field and just seeing how huge the field is and all the lights and just walking on the grass and just feeling like a superstar,” Mendoza said.

“The coolest part was when they had our names on the locker room, and it was surreal looking at my name and then seeing a chair and just imagining one day I could be there. Also, the batting cages, just batting where the pro players do it. It does help with showing that everything's possible, like a peek of if you made it, what it would look like. It's a great opportunity to just be in there and enjoy the moment.”

The Marlins also focus on Robinson’s trailblazing legacy by having an alumnus like Charles Johnson or Preston Wilson speak to the teams about their career and what Robinson meant to them. Each student-athlete receives a warmup shirt with Jackie Robinson Classic on the front, the No. 42 and one of Robinson’s nine values (citizenship, determination, teamwork, integrity, justice, commitment, persistence, courage or excellence) on the back.

Video clips of Robinson are shown throughout game, and a representative from the Jackie Robinson Foundation discusses its scholarship program. Prior to the game, a giant 42 is placed inside each dugout along with note cards for the student-athletes to write down what 42 means to them and what they are going to do to become a barrier breaker as well.

“We want them to come and play the game and enjoy that, but also to reflect in the moment and what it means,” Smith said. “Jackie meant so much, not only to the sport of baseball, but to our country. He truly kind of kickstarted the civil rights movement. Those values that he stood for are invaluable in life. We talk about them all throughout our youth baseball and softball programming.”

Kevin Lawrence, who was Booker T. Washington High School’s principal in 2024 when the baseball team participated in the Classic, called the decision a no-brainer for the student-athletes and surrounding community.

Jarvin Lopez struck out 10 and fell just shy of a complete game, while Gabriel Hernandez recorded the final out for a 5-3 win over Boyd H. Anderson High. Two weeks after Booker T.’s victory, Lopez’s closest friend, Cristopher Ediel Vanega Martinez, passed away in a drowning accident.

“That game now carries even deeper meaning for our school and community,” wrote Lawrence, who now serves as the administrative director of Miami-Dade County Public Schools athletics & activities. “It became one of the last times his family, teammates and coaches were able to see him compete on such a special stage. Through the support of the Miami Marlins, his family was provided with professional photos and video from that day: memories of him proudly wearing his Booker T. uniform at loanDepot park. That experience, and those keepsakes, meant more than anyone could have imagined. The Classic didn’t just give him a game, it gave his family lasting memories.”