Mariano Rivera’s decision to retire after the 2013 season represents the end of an era for several reasons. The major leagues’ career leader in saves, he has been a cornerstone of the Yankees since winning his first championship ring with them, in 1996, and given his remarkable consistency and distinct lack of histrionics, he will be difficult, if not impossible, to replace.

But Rivera is also the last player in Major League Baseball wearing Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, which was retired on April 15, 1997, on the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s first game in the major leagues, the game in which he broke the sport’s color barrier.

When Commissioner Bud Selig announced then that No. 42 was being retired, there were 13 major leaguers, including Rivera, wearing it. All 13 were told they could keep wearing the number for the rest of their major league careers.