The Rays won’t take the field on Jackie Robinson Day this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but his legacy will still be honored throughout Major League Baseball.

Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color barrier on April 15, 1947, opening the door for African American players to play on MLB teams. Throughout the years, Carl Crawford, Fred McGriff, B.J. Upton and Tommy Pham, among others, have suited up for the Rays, and that’s all thanks to Jackie Robinson.

• Complete guide to 2020 Jackie Robinson Day

“He definitely was a pioneer for African American players,” Upton said in 2011. “We know what he went through. I don’t think a lot of us today could deal with what he dealt with.”

Though Robinson doesn’t have any ties to the Rays’ franchise, his number does hold a special place in Tampa Bay’s history. In 1997, MLB decided that the No. 42 would be retired throughout the sport, excluding a handful of players, like Mariano Rivera, who were wearing the number at the time.

Because the Rays became a franchise in 1998, Robinson became the club’s first retired number, an honor that still hangs in the Tropicana Field rafters, along with Wade Boggs’ No. 12 and Don Zimmer’s No. 66.

In 2004, baseball officially declared April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day and players began wearing the No. 42 on that day in ‘07, with Crawford being the first player to don the number.

“It’s definitely a big deal because no one will probably ever wear it again,” Crawford told the Tampa Bay Times that year. “I can say, for one day, I wore his number.”

Since 2004, however, playing on Jackie Robinson Day hasn’t gone as planned for the Rays. During that span, they have been off four times and have gone 3-8 when they have stepped onto the field, with their last win coming in ‘11 against the Twins at Tropicana Field.

As we continue to celebrate Jackie Robinson and his legacy, let’s take a look at those three Rays wins on one of baseball’s biggest -- and most important -- dates.

April 15, 2011 vs. Twins (5-2)
Wade Davis, Kelly Shoppach lead the way

It’s hard to believe that Davis was a starter the last time the Rays won a game on April 15. But on this night, he was really sharp. Davis allowed just one run in seven innings, throwing 100 pitches.

What’s even more wild is that Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon used four relievers to get the final three outs. Cesar Ramos, Juan Cruz, Jake McGee and Kyle Farnsworth teamed up to get the job done, locking down the win for the Rays.

“It’s not optimal,” Maddon said. “I didn’t want to have to do that, but [I’m] willing to do that if necessary.”

April 15, 2007 at Twins (6-4)
Rays get to Joe Nathan

Nathan is one of the best relievers of the last two decades, but it didn’t always come easy against the Rays. With the game tied at 4-4 heading into the ninth inning, the Twins turned to their closer, looking to maintain the draw. Tampa Bay (then the Devil Rays) had other plans.

Akinori Iwamura opened the inning with a leadoff double and came around to score on a Dioner Navarro double, giving the Rays a 5-4 lead. They went on to add an insurance run when Carlos Peña delivered an RBI single to drive in Navarro.

The win gave Maddon and the Rays hope for the future of the team. And they were right.

“I don’t think we could have done this last year. I liked our approach at the plate all day,” Maddon said that night. “I think we are developing a lineup that can score in all spots of the order.”

April 15, 2006 vs. Royals (6-3)
It’s a first

The win went down as the franchise’s first on Jackie Robinson Day, which is always special. Are you ready for some more blast-from-the-past names? Seth McClung was the winning pitcher. Shawn Camp recorded the save. And Ty Wigginton was responsible for three of the Rays’ six runs.