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5 MLB greats who also wore Robinson's No. 42

Afro Newspaper/Gado / Archive Photos / Getty

April 15 is a special day for baseball, as one of its legends will be celebrated by the game.

Every player in MLB will wear No. 42 on Friday in honor of the late, great Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier.

While no one will ever be able to wear his number again thanks to its retirement in 1997, several other great players have attached the number to their backs during baseball's long history. Here are five of the best.

Bob Lemon

Although he was better known for wearing No. 21, Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame great Lemon was assigned No. 42 while he was still a third baseman with the franchise, prior to his military service beginning in 1943.

After coming home from war, Lemon converted to pitching and became one of the greatest hurlers in Indians history, throwing more than 2,800 innings in 13 seasons with the club.

Mo Vaughn

The 1995 American League MVP was one of the game's most feared hitters from 1993 through 2000, and he did most of his damage while wearing Robinson's famed number at Fenway Park.

During his eight-year stretch with the Boston Red Sox, Vaughn slashed .304/.394/.542 with 230 home runs and 752 RBIs, then left for a six-year, $80-million contract with the Anaheim Angels.

Bruce Sutter

One of the Hall of Fame's most high-profile relievers sported the No. 42 on multiple occasions as he racked up 300 saves over 12 big-league seasons split between the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Atlanta Braves.

Sutter was a different breed than most of today's relievers, who typically pitch a lone inning. He tossed more than 1,000 innings across 661 major-league appearances, and twice finished a season with an ERA under two.

Dave Henderson

Before he died last December, Dave Henderson donned the No. 42 during a 14-year career that included three World Series appearances and a title in 1989.

"Hundo" may be remembered more vividly for his big smile and even bigger hair than his .258/.320/.436 career slash line, but he was an integral part of the Oakland Athletics during their dominance in the late 1980s, and is recognized among Red Sox fans for his home run in the 1986 ALCS against the California Angels.

Mariano Rivera

Arguably the game's greatest closer, Mariano Rivera will go down as the last player to wear Jackie Robinson's No. 42 on a regular basis.

The innovator of the cut fastball and New York Yankees legend had his number retired and added to Monument Park at Yankee Stadium in 2013.

Rivera, who's a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer, broke the major-league saves record in 2011, and currently sits atop the all-time leaderboard with 652.

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