MACON Ga. - April 15th is always a special day in Major League Baseball.
On Jackie Robinson Day, all players across the league wear the number 42 to honor the man who paved the way for African-Americans to play baseball at the professional level.
While Robinson will certainly be celebrated all across America again this year, that celebration means just a little more in Central Georgia.
94 years and counting, Luther Williams Field has seen it all.
Today, it’s the home of the Macon Bacon, but on April 7th, 1949, it was the very field where Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the state of Georgia when the Brooklyn Dodgers took on the Macon Peaches.
“It’s really special,” Macon Bacon team president Brandon Raphael said. “You feel history when you walk in here, and it's amazing to know that one of the most historic pieces of Georgia sports history happened right here at Luther Williams Field.”
Mercer outfielder Antonio Brown is gearing up for his second summer with the Bacon and knows well just how much the history means.
“The Bacon took me on a tour of the facility and just explained the history of it,” Brown said. “It's a cool place to be, knowing that so many great players have come through there. It's really cool playing at Luther Williams.”
Brooklyn beat Macon 11-2 in that game. In typical Jackie fashion, Robinson recorded three hits, two RBI’s and a run scored.
But the box score was just about the least important thing on that night.
“If he didn't play then I wouldn't be here,” Brown said. “So he means the world to all people, especially people of color and I'm very thankful for him and for everything that he's done.” “Knowing that he broke the color barrier for the state of Georgia a couple years after he did it for Major League Baseball, it just doesn't get any more historic than that,” Raphael said.
A day recognized by our national pastime.
A message in action here in Central Georgia -- all the time. “It means a lot, because he did a lot for my color and just all the guys that look like me around the nation and everywhere,” Rutland pitcher Jordan Green said. “And he helped blacks be able to play with whites and just make us all a family like we are today.” 74 years later the team that plays on that same field now, still upholds everything that Jackie means. “We talk to our players every year about that,” Raphael said. “In our initial meeting, we say, ‘here are the players that have come before you.’ So not just respecting the Macon name but really it's those that you're sharing a field with, a dugout with.”
Luther Williams Field will again play host to the Macon Bacon this summer. The team opens its 2023 season on June 2 against the Lexington County Blowfish.
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