Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day at every MLB park where games were played. The Mariners showed a big-screen tribute to Robinson before the game against the Rangers. The late Hall of Famer made his big-league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, at Ebbets Field.
Growing up in Venezuela, Lopez knew a little about Robinson by watching old TV clips, but didn't understand his impact until his coach told him."My first coach in Venezuela, Henry Perez, played professionally. He liked him. He told me about him," Lopez said. "He played great. He played second base." Ellison said the promotion to honor Robinson was a wonderful gesture by baseball. "He set the standard and gave us all the opportunity to be here," he said. "A lot of Latin players may not know a lot of about him, but it's pretty neat they're doing that." When Batista began his professional career in the early 1990s, he was surprised how many African-American players were unfamiliar with Robinson's achievements. "Back in 1995 or so, the name Jackie Robinson was mentioned more and more in baseball and it was a shame for me to know that many African-Americans didn't know who he was," said Batista, an avid reader as well as a writer who has researched Robinson's legacy. "People talk about his greatness and perseverance, but a lot of people don't realize that besides letting us play, he was a man seen as a man." Batista said his strength as a man was revealed in the way he handled the physical and verbal abuse thrown his way. He restrained himself from fighting back. Batista said that the best African-American players, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, who played in the Dominican at the same time, would have reacted differently. Baseball "knew those two guys would fight back and would get kicked out. Jackie had the education and the talent to change people's views," Batista said. "He had the heart not to fight back but, as Mahatma Gandhi said, 'It takes a bigger man to give in than to fight back.'
"I wouldn't say Jackie was the Mahatma Gandhi of baseball, but there was one thing about him that made them choose him. He wasn't the best player in the Negro League, but he was smartest not to fight back."
Bob Sherwin is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.