Jackie Robinson Day: Teams pay tribute to No. 42

Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier when he suited up for his Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, becoming the first African-American player to appear in a major-league game. Wednesday is the 68th anniversary of the historic day. 

Teams across Major League Baseball will be paying tribute throughout the day to the Hall of Famer and we'll share some of those moments here. This year's Civil Rights Game in honor of Jackie Robinson Day will be played by the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers at 10:00 p.m. ET.

10:10 p.m. - Dodgers icon Sandy Koufax escorts Rachel Robinson, Jackie's wife, to the mound for a pre-game ceremony in advance of the Civil Rights Game at Chavez Ravine.

9:00 p.m. - "For one day, it's not about the name on the front OR back of the jersey. It's just about the number," reads an apt tweet from Baseball Tonight that's accompanied by a photo montage of players sporting Robinson's famous number.

8:30 p.m. - Players and fans pay tribute to Robinson before a busy evening of baseball, honoring the Dodgers icon with on-field tributes, video montages and heartfelt placards.

4:55 p.m. - Hours before the ninth annual Civil Rights Game, newly appointed commissioner Rob Manfred addressed from Los Angeles the legacy of Jackie Robinson, a courageous pioneer who fueled "a movement that literally changed the United States of America."

2:25 p.m. - MLB shared this tweet asking superstars Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, Jimmy Rollins, and George Springer to describe Robinson in one word. Perfect.

1:15 p.m. - ESPN's Baseball Tonight shared a brief snapshot of No. 42's incredible career with this cool vine of iconic images:

12:30 p.m. ET - Indians manager Terry Francona said it best, courtesy of MLB.com's Jordan Bastian:

"Because of his strength, it knocked some barriers down. I just don't know why they were ever up."

12:10 p.m. ET - The Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins kicked off the first games of the day with photos and on-field tributes.

Astronaut Terry Virts did his part to honor the Dodgers legend, paying tribute to Robinson with this video message from the International Space Station:

(Photos/Videos courtesy: MLB.com)