THE JACKIE ROBINSON FOUNDATION COLLECTION OF NEW YORK YANKEES GAME WORN “JACKIE ROBINSON DAY” #42 JERSEYS

SCP Auctions is proud to present a collection of 41 game-worn “Jackie Robinson Day” Major League Baseball jerseys from the New York Yankees. The No. 42 jerseys represent the MLB seasons from 2009 to 2014 and include a total of 35 past and present Yankees players who competed on Jackie Robinson Day (April 15) during any of those six different years. Jackie Robinson Day is a traditional event which occurs every year in MLB ballparks across North America to commemorate and honor the day Robinson made his major league debut: April 15, 1947. Initiated for the first time on April 15, 2004, Jackie Robinson Day is a celebration of Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) that ended almost 80 years of baseball segregation. In acknowledging Robinson’s historic and heroic role in breaking baseball’s color barrier, all players, coaches and managers on both teams, as well as the on-the-field umpires, wear No. 42 jerseys on April 15th. Robinson’s number was retired in 1997 by Major League Baseball on the 50th anniversary of his extraordinary feat.

All 41 jerseys were consigned to SCP Auctions by the Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF), a national, not-for-profit, organization founded in 1973 by Rachel Robinson (Jackie’s widow) as a vehicle to perpetuate the memory of Jackie Robinson through the advancement of higher education among underserved populations. A portion of the proceeds from the online auction will go toward benefitting the Jackie Robinson Foundation. For more information about the JRF, visit www.jackierobinson.org.

This is striking artifact from Japanese hurler Hiroki Kuroda, who pitched for the Dodgers and Yankees in a seven-year major-league career that was bookended by stints in his native Japan for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Making the item all the more imposing is the realization it was worn on Jackie Robinson Day, a nod by Major League Baseball to the great Robinson, who broke baseball’s infamous color barrier on April 15, 1947. Thus the jersey bears No. 42, as all major league players would wear Jackie’s legendary number in honor of the historic event. The Yankees tangled with the Texas Rangers on the anniversary date, April 15, 2011, losing 5-3 in front of 40,814 fans at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees pinstripe home jersey has Majestic Authentic tagging on the front left tail with adjacent embroidered team tag with “18 48 ’13.” A New York Yankees bar code is affixed below that as part of the team’s authentication program and a MLB hologram is attached to the Majestic labeling as part of the dual authentication of the piece. The famed Yankees’ “NY” logo script is on the front left breast in navy blue tackle twill and as noted earlier, No. 42 is on the back in the same fashion. The iconic MLB batter logo patch appears at the back of the collar. Shirt is in superb overall condition, problem-free and without visible alteration of any description.

Comes with authentication by Major League Baseball (hologram #653051 EK) and a Letter of Authenticity from the Jackie Robinson Foundation.