Griffey Pays Tribute to Robinson

Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners honored Jackie Robinson on Tuesday night by wearing the late Hall of Famer’s No. 42 instead of his usual No. 24 in a game against Cleveland.

Griffey switched numbers for the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s major league debut.

The Mariners center fielder also wore his black stockings almost knee-length in the manner that Robinson wore them for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

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Texas Ranger outfielder Marc Sagmoen barely had time to get his new uniform dirty before acting Commissioner Bud Selig announced in New York during ceremonies to honor Robinson that the jersey number will no longer be given out by teams. If current players wearing No. 42 (such as Boston’s Mo Vaughn) are exempt from the ruling, then Sagmoen would be the last player to start wearing it. Sagmoen was assigned the number. . . . Toronto Blue Jay outfielders Joe Carter, Otis Nixon and Robert Perez made their own fashion statement in honor of Robinson, wearing their blue socks knee-high during a game against Kansas City. It was how Robinson wore his socks during his major-league debut.

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The Baltimore Orioles put right-handed reliever Alan Mills on the 15-day disabled list, five days after he hurt his left shoulder in a freak collision with teammate Lenny Webster while chasing a fly ball during a batting practice. The Orioles replaced Mills on the roster by activating right-handed starter Rocky Coppinger. . . . Kansas City Royal left-hander Chris Haney was placed on the 15-day DL because of a broken left ankle. He is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks.