Watch top JR Day moments on Network

April 10th, 2020

As part of its Jackie Robinson Weekend programming, MLB Network will be airing a countdown-style "Play Ball" program on Saturday to celebrate some of the top Jackie Robinson Day moments from past years in Major League Baseball.

The show, airing at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET, will highlight the top 20 moments from previous Jackie Robinson Days.

Below are three selections that will be featured on the program, but tune in Saturday to watch exactly where each one falls on the list -- and to see the remaining 17 moments.

2007: Players start wearing No. 42

On April 15, 2007, the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball, players began wearing No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day. It all started with Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. asking Rachel Robinson for permission to don the number on April 15, and Commissioner Bud Selig encouraging other players to do the same. Two years later, it became a universal tribute across the Majors, with all players wearing No. 42 each Jackie Robinson Day.

With the retirement of Mariano Rivera -- the last player to wear Robinson's No. 42 -- following the 2013 season, the annual Jackie Robinson Day is the only time any Major League player will be seen sporting Robinson's legendary number.

2010: Canó, named after Jackie, belts pair of homers; Rivera gets save

Robinson Canó was not only named after Jackie Robinson, but he also wears No. 24 (the reverse of Robinson's retired No. 42) to honor the legend. So it's only fitting that Canó turned in a memorable two-homer performance on Jackie Robinson Day in 2010 against the Angels.

Canó put the Yankees on the board when he led off the second inning with a solo shot off Angels starter Scott Kazmir. Canó later added a two-run homer off Kazmir, helping lift New York to a 6-2 victory at Yankee Stadium.

2019: Pederson launches walk-off homer to cap Dodgers' comeback win

It's only fitting that the Dodgers are 13-3 overall on Jackie Robinson Day, and their most recent win in 2019 was a dramatic one. Los Angeles fell into an early hole against the Reds when former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig roped a two-run homer off Clayton Kershaw in the first inning. That, however, would prove to be the only blemish for Kershaw in an otherwise dominant performance. Kershaw allowed just the two runs while striking out six over seven innings, and he departed with the game tied at 2.

It remained that way until the top of the ninth, when another former Dodgers outfielder, Matt Kemp, delivered a go-ahead RBI single. Though Kemp put Cincinnati ahead, 3-2, that only set the stage for a thrilling finish in the bottom half of the inning. After David Freese worked a leadoff walk, Joc Pederson clobbered a two-run walk-off homer to send the Dodgers home with a 4-3 victory.