Mariano Rivera is the last active Major Leaguer to wear a jersey number belonging to whom?

Mariano Rivera was the last active Major Leaguer to wear a jersey number belonging to Jackie Robinson. Rivera wore number 42, the number Robinson wore with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the only number retired throughout Major League Baseball.

MLB retired Robinson's number across the league in 1997, on the 50th anniversary of his debut. Players already wearing 42 were allowed to continue under a grandfather clause; Rivera was the final one still active when he retired after the 2013 season.

Robinson debuted for Brooklyn on April 15, 1947, breaking Major League Baseball's modern color barrier. He became the 1947 Rookie of the Year, won the 1949 National League MVP Award, made six All-Star teams, and helped the Dodgers win the 1955 World Series.

A common mix-up is thinking Rivera's number was retired in his honor. The Yankees retired 42 for Robinson before Rivera's career ended, although Rivera's association with the number became nearly as famous. MLB players still wear 42 annually on Jackie Robinson Day.