The meaning behind Robinson Canó’s jersey number

Robinson Canó, who was named after Jackie Robinson, will honor the MLB legend by wearing his number backward with the Padres

When he dons his new San Diego Padres uniform, Robinson Canó will honor one of Major League Baseball’s greatest legends.

According to the team’s social media, Canó will wear 24, the inverse of the number worn by the man he’s named after, the one and only Jackie Robinson.

“Canó will wear №24 for the Padres, and first base coach David Macias will switch to №46. Canó wears №24 to honor Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, his namesake, whose №42 has been retired throughout MLB.”Padres

MLB officially retired 42 on April 15, 1997, the anniversary of Robinson’s big-league debut, the day he officially broke MLB’s color barrier.

It’s not the first time Canó has worn 24; it was one of three numbers he wore with the New York Yankees, and it was his number with the Mets. He’s also worn 14 and 22 with the Yankees and Mariners. In 2007, Canó offered the number to Roger Clemens, whom the Yankees were trying to bring back to the Bronx. Clemens had worn 22 during his first stint with the Yankees from 1999-2003. It was then that Canó switched to 24 to honor Robinson. Fittingly, Canó played with the last player to wear 42, Mariano Rivera.

When Canó signed his 10-year deal with the Mariners in 2013, no player had worn 24 since Ken Griffey Jr. and Canó went back to wearing 22. The Mariners retired Griffey’s number three years later.

When the Mariners traded Canó to the Mets, he switched back to 24.

Throughout his career, Canó has spoken many times about his admiration for Robinson:

In fact, Canó’s only home run this year came on Jackie Robinson Day.

And it’s not the first time, either: