Reds celebrate annual Jackie Robinson Day with multi-day festivities

In conjunction with Major League Baseball, the Reds celebrated Jackie Robinson Day on Wednesday, the 79th anniversary of the Hall of Famer and trailblazer’s big league debut.

Since 2004, MLB has commemorated and celebrated the history and legacy of Robinson on April 15 to recognize the enduring impact of No. 42 breaking baseball’s color barrier.

The Reds’ activities surrounding Jackie Robinson Day kicked off last weekend at the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy.

This past Saturday, the Reds Youth Academy hosted a Jackie Robinson celebration featuring six games from the Skyline Chili Reds Futures High School Showcase presented by PNC. All baseball and softball participants received a special Jackie Robinson T-shirt, thanks to a partnership with Nike, which they wore during warmups for their games.

Saturday also featured the annual Joe Morgan HBCU Classic, pitting Wilberforce University against Ohio Christian University. Players from both teams wore authentic Negro Leagues jerseys for the game, made possible by Michael Carter, senior advisor to the president at Sinclair Community College in Dayton. Carter and his brother have generously made their remarkable collection of Negro Leagues jerseys available to use in the Joe Morgan HBCU Classic for the past four years.

Another layer of the Reds Youth Academy’s busy day included an HBCU College Fair, which returned for the second consecutive year.

“It’s truly one of the most vibrant days you’ll experience all year at the Reds Youth Academy,” Reds Community Fund executive director Charley Frank said. “It’s a wonderful day of connection and one of the first days of spring where the parking lot gets packed and the community can be a part of why we’re here: We’re here for baseball, softball and community.”

The action returned to the Reds Youth Academy on Jackie Robinson Day with some special guests in attendance.

Reds players Will Benson, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Rece Hinds and Dane Myers visited on Wednesday morning to speak with players from Wilberforce and Kentucky State University before the two HBCUs took the field for an early afternoon game.

Just one day prior, Hinds arrived in Cincinnati and started his first game with the Reds this season after a promotion from Triple-A. Despite the short notice, he didn’t hesitate to commit to the event. About 24 hours after getting to Cincinnati, the outfielder was already venturing out into the community to speak with the young athletes.

“When I play this game, I want to do it for the youth,” he said. “Growing up, there weren’t a lot of people that looked like us playing this game and there are still a lot of people that don’t look like us that play this game. So I play this game for guys that look like us.

“And I think the biggest thing for these kids is to be yourself. There's a mask that Black baseball players have to put on sometimes and just play the game because we're looked at differently or don’t play with others that look like us. But at the end of the day, the only way you're going to perform at your best is being yourself.”

The players first fielded questions from Jamie Ramsey, the Reds director of media relations, about what Robinson means to them, how they can continue opening doors for the next generation of Black ballplayers, what being a clubhouse ally entails, and their career mentors, among other topics. They also shared personal stories with the college players of how they’ve had to navigate racism in their journey to the majors and continue to do so today as MLB players.

“Jackie had a lot of pressure and dealt with a lot of stuff he didn't deserve to deal with, and that kind of set the ground for me to go out there and be myself and play the game free today,” Myers said. “I hope you guys feel that way, too. You'll get judged sometimes and coached unfairly because of your color, but as long as you trust in your game and trust yourself, you’ll be OK."

Wilberforce and Kentucky State players were then given the floor to ask their own questions and absorb everything they could during the exciting chance to be face-to-face with the Reds stars.

Wilberforce junior Seth Spann, whose first favorite baseball player growing up was Jackie Robinson, was the first player to ask a question and made the most of his time with the big leaguers. He especially took to heart Hinds’ perspective on staying confident in yourself and trusting in the work you put in which carries over to on-field performance.

“It’s a huge opportunity to get information,” Spann said. “Those guys are somewhere we want to be, so they have so much experience and so much knowledge that it's great to hear from them.

“Three of them are outfielders like I am, so when they were taking pictures with my teammates, I was in there asking for any advice and tips on hitting approach,” he said with a laugh.

After the panel and a group photo, Reds President and CEO Phil Castellini addressed the players and fans, emphasizing the importance of celebrating one of baseball’s true icons and pioneers.

“Jackie Robinson Day isn't just a special day for the game of baseball; it's really American history in breaking the color barrier and with everything Jackie did,” Castellini said. “So the way that we celebrate him in our game, I think is fitting. And for you all to be a part of that, it's really special for us.”

From there, the players threw a simultaneous ceremonial first pitch to kick off the action on the field before it was time to officially play ball.

The festivities continued in downtown Cincinnati that night when the Reds hosted the San Francisco Giants. Many of the fans in attendance took home a commemorative No. 42 adhesive patch, courtesy of Network for Hope. All players, managers and coaches wore No. 42 jerseys – an ongoing tradition brought to life by Reds Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. starting in 2009 – to honor Robinson’s historic debut along with a ‘42’ patch on the caps.

Many of the on-field, pregame ceremonies tied into Jackie Robinson Day as well, including Cincinnati native and Miami University (OH) graduate J’Quaan Waite serving as the game’s honorary captain. Waite is a proud Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar from the Class of 2016.

Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier all the way back in 1947, but the celebration each year in Cincinnati and across all of Major League Baseball shows the everlasting impact of the Brooklyn Dodgers legend