
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
On April 15, MLB honors Jackie Robinson by having all players wear No. 42, a number retired league-wide since 1997. The last Detroit Tiger to wear No. 42 was pitcher Jose Lima in 2001-02, with a total of 22 Tigers having worn the number throughout history.
Detroit — It's April 15. That means everyone in Major League Baseball is wearing No. 42, in honor of Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier April 15, 1947, for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1997, MLB retired Robinson's No. 42 for all teams, with players who already wore the number being allowed to continue wearing it through their own retirement.
The last Tiger to wear No. 42 was late pitcher Jose Lima, who wore it in 2001-02, after he was acquired in a trade with the Houston Astros and opted to stick with that number. Twenty-two Tigers have worn No. 42, including, interesting, Alan Trammell as a rookie in 1977, before he eventually switched to his famed No. 3 in 1978.
Pitcher Jose Lima, left, is one of 22 players who have worn No. 42 in Tigers history.
Robinson's No. 42 is displayed on the brick wall beyond the right-center field fence at Comerica Park.
Since 2004, all MLB teams have worn Robinson's No. 42 during games on April 15.
Robinson played for the Dodgers from 1947-56, winning rookie of the year in 1947, Most Valuable Player in 1949 and a World Series in 1955. Robinson won a batting championship and made seven All-Star teams. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He died in 1972, at the age of 53.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers have had 22 players wear Jackie Robinson's No. 42
MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson on April 15 to honor his legacy of breaking baseball's color barrier in 1947.
A total of 22 players have worn No. 42 for the Detroit Tigers throughout the team's history.
The last Detroit Tiger to wear No. 42 was pitcher Jose Lima, who wore it during the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
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