“She’s made an enormous impact on our sport,” Selig said. “We are an institution with enormous social responsibilities. She keeps us focused on that.”

“Whites inside only” and “Coloreds entrance” were signs of the time when Robinson played his first game at Ebbets Field. He was subjected to racist remarks from players and fans alike. But Dodgers executive Branch Rickey made Robinson his choice to break the color barrier because he believed he was mature enough and tough enough to survive and thrive.

Robinson retired following the 1956 season — after the Dodgers traded him to the rival Giants — and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962.

“That first day, we were so anxious in the morning without acknowledging it,” 84-year-old Rachel Robinson said. “I think what we felt at the end of the day was a great deal of relief. He performed even though he didn’t do very well.”

Robinson went hitless, but reached base on an error and scored the go-ahead run in the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory over the Boston Braves.

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His impact has been lasting. Mrs. Robinson said 1,100 scholarship students have graduated from college and 266 are presently in school since the foundation was formed.

“We needed to find a way to hold onto him,” Mrs. Robinson said of her late husband. “Jack’s legacy is all over the place.”

Ceremonies were held at 10 of the 15 big league ballparks where games were scheduled Sunday — rain washed out games at the five other sites.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers honored Robinson by having all their players outfitted in No. 42.

“I think more than anything I just want people to be able to learn and understand Jackie Robinson’s life and what he had to endure, and the impact he has on American society, not just baseball,” said outfielder Preston Wilson, the only black player on the Cardinals.

“What you’re doing is celebrating what this guy has done,” Griffey said. “Without him, who knows when the next African-American athlete is going to be able to play. The things that he went through and what he stands for, you have to celebrate his life and legacy. Today is just, for me, my way of saying thanks.”