Phillies to Salute Jackie Robinson on Sunday, April 15

            The most significant moment in Major League Baseball history is when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier on April 15, 1947. The Phillies, along with Major League Baseball, will be paying tribute to this milestone and celebrating the 65^th anniversary of the occasion with a “Jackie Robinson Salute” at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, April 15, before and during the 1:35 p.m. game against the New York Mets.   

            This special on-field tribute starts at 1:00 p.m., where the Phillies will salute African-American pioneers who opened doors for others. The celebration will be covered live on phillies.com.

PHILLIES JACKIE ROBINSON SALUTE: LIVE ON PHILLIES.COM

• The entire Phillies team will be wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson; In addition, the game will feature Jackie Robinson Day jeweled bases and lineup cards.

• An amazing life-size, hand-carved and painted wooden statue of Jackie Robinson will be on display in Ashburn Alley for fans to take photos. The statue, which weighs over 250 pounds and stands over 6 feet tall, was created by sculptor Brian Birrer and took over 900 hours to transform from over 50 pieces of Walnut, Pine and Basswood. Birrer, from Northern, NJ, will also be in attendance.

• Two players from the historic Philadelphia Stars – pitcher Harold Gould and second baseman Mahlon Duckett – will be honored on the field. The Philadelphia Stars was in existence from 1934 to 1952 and won the 1934 Negro National League pennant. Phillies players will also participate in the tribute.

• Members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, who made history at the same time Jackie Robinson broke the “color line” in Major League Baseball, will be the honor guard for the game. Airmen include John Harrison, Reverend Milton Homes, Bertram Levy, Thomas Mayfield, Henry Moore, John Pritchett, Dr. Eugene Richardson and George Watson.

• Philadelphia resident Tyanna Hudson, a senior at Frankford High School and a member of the Phillies RBI Softball Team, will be presented with the Phillies Jackie Robinson Scholarship. David Thomas, a Phillies Jackie Robinson scholar for the past four years who is graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, will be recognized for being this year’s Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar.

• Thou Shalt Not Steal: The Baseball Life and Times of a Rifle-Armed Negro League Catcher, the autobiography of the late Philadelphia Stars catcher Bill “Ready” Cash, will be available to purchase at the Phillies NewsStand in Section 111, Main Concourse. The book was written by Bill Cash and Al Hunter, Jr.

• Earlier in the Day – Free Jackie Robinson events: The Phillies Ballgirls will take part in a Jackie Robinson tribute being held at the Negro League Memorial in Fairmount Park (Belmont and Parkside Avenue), from 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. and a Jackie Robinson Brunch at LeCochon Noir (5070 Parkside Avenue) from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., featuring a talk by Rebecca Alpert, Associate Professor at Temple University.

For more information, please visit www.phillies.com.