Denzel Washington Honors Jackie Robinson Before 2022 MLB All-Star Game: 'No. 42 Blazed a Trail'

Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty

Denzel Washington paid tribute to baseball legend Jackie Robinson on Tuesday night.

Marking the 75th anniversary of Robinson's first MLB game in 1947, the Training Day star addressed the crowd at Dodgers Stadium just before players took to the field for the 2022 All-Star Game.

"Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, 1947," the Oscar-winner began. "When Jackie Robinson stepped onto a Major League Baseball field for the first time, armed with supreme talent and unshakable character and wearing a Dodgers uniform, he changed the game of baseball and so much more."

As pictures of Robinson appeared on screen, the 67-year-old actor said, "What he carried with him, what he represented, was towering. On the field, [he was] the rookie of the year, a most valuable player, a world series champion, and a seven-time All-Star. Beyond the field, Jackie Robinson challenged us to become better versions of ourselves."

Washington then repeated Robinson's famous saying, "life is not a spectator sport."

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"He lived that motto to the fullest," Washington said. "Whether it was charging down the baseline or standing tall for opportunity and justice, No. 42 blazed a trail that would light the way for people from every walk of life and every color and to this very day, every generation. That inspiration, that profound impact, looms just as large today as it did 75 years ago."

Sean M. Haffey/Getty

After his speech, Washington walked off the field to the cheers of the crowd.

"Denzel Washington honors Jackie Robinson. Chills," the MLB tweeted alongside a video of the speech.

During the event, Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts paid tribute to Robinson's wife Rachel, who celebrated turning 100 that same day.

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"Today is a special day, it's Miss Rachel Robinson's 100th birthday," Betts told the crowd as he and other players gathered at home plate before the game. "So on a count of three, I want everybody here to say, 'Happy birthday Rachel.'"

Robinson and Rachel — a former professor, nurse, and leader during the Civil Rights Movement — were married from 1946 until his death in 1972. She founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation in 1973 after her husband's death.

In 2007, Rachel was awarded the MLB commissioner's Historic Achievement Award, credited as the first woman and the first non-player to receive the honor, USA Today reported.

Rachel and Jackie had three children, Jackie Jr., Sharon, and David.

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Washington also spoke to Dodgers players earlier this year to mark Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, per the Hollywood Reporter.

During the visit, he described his early memories of the sport.

"I'm here to tell you, you never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. You can't take it with you. I don't care who you are, but you can leave it here," Washington, who played baseball in high school, told the players, according to a video posted by the team.

"Not just the money, the memories and the joy that you give children, the love that they have when they walk around with your jerseys on, it meant everything to me just to be one of you guys," he said.

He told the team, "I just pray that you understand the power and authority that you all have, the influence that you all have and I know you do. Never take your gift for granted."