The Los Angeles Dodgers officially unveiled a Jackie Robinson statue at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, which is the 70th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier. The pregame ceremony was hosted by Kevin Frazier, and included speeches from Jackie’s daughter, Sharon, and his son, David.
The Dodgers were represented by team president and CEO Stan Kasten, part owner Magic Johnson, former pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Newcombe, and manager Dave Roberts, among several others. Vin Scully made his second public appearance at Dodger Stadium since retiring at the end of the 2016 regular season.
Scully began his speech with his trademark, “Hi everybody…,” which he said he couldn’t resist saying. The retired Hall-of-Fame broadcaster spoke fondly of memories he shared with Robinson, which included providing a backstory to a photograph of the duo wearing ice skates.
Although Robinson, a Pasadena, Calif. native, had never ice skated in his life, he challenged Scully to a race. While initially surprised by that, Scully said he was more taken aback by Robinson’s wife, Rachel, who was ice skating without any concern despite being several months pregnant.
The ceremony concluded with the group gathering for the dropping of a blue curtain that surrounded the bronze statue.
The first 40,000 fans in attendance Saturday night will receive a replica Jackie Robinson statue.
