Nationals host Jackie Robinson Day and Black Heritage Day on Saturday

By Doug Miller

Nationals

April 14, 2017, 8:06am

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WHAT: On Saturday, April 15, 70 years to the day that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, the Washington Nationals will host Black Heritage Day. This year's Black Heritage Day event falls on the same day as the league-wide Jackie Robinson Day celebration.

During the pregame ceremony and the game itself, the Nationals will honor the contributions of African-Americans to the game of baseball and the community. For this special occasion, all players and on-field personnel across the league will don No. 42 jerseys in honor of Robinson, as they have every April 15 since 2009. Videos will air throughout the game highlighting Jackie Robinson's career and legacy, and community members will participate in the pregame ceremony.

Ceremony participants include Michael Moore and Troy Hylick, the grandsons of Katherine Johnson, the NASA physicist and mathematician who was recently portrayed in the film Hidden Figures. George H. Lambert, Jr., Greater Washington Urban League President & CEO, will make the Play Ball announcement. The Nationals will also recognize top finalists from the 35^th Annual Washington Informer Spelling Bee, and Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars. An alumnus of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Matthew Robinson, will sing the National Anthem.