Mariners to don No. 42 in honor of Robinson

SEATTLE -- Major League Baseball will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Tuesday by having every player, manager and member of on-field personnel wear No. 42 jerseys.

It's the sixth consecutive year MLB has used the tradition to honor Robinson, who broke the color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African-American baseball player to appear in an MLB game.

Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said he recently had the chance to read Robinson's autobiography and watch the movie "42." He plans to proudly to honor the Hall of Famer who hit .311 over 10 MLB seasons.

"Obviously, Jackie is the reason I'm sitting here," McClendon said. "A lot of other folks are in the position that they're sitting in [because of him]. I'll wear it with pride. I think it's very significant. I think probably lost in all this is the struggles that he really went through.

"I thought what was really important was that he was tough enough to not fight back, and that really meant a lot."