As advertised, the 2018-2019 edition of the third annual Dodger Stadium Pop-up Museum, which opened to the public on Saturday morning, was chock full of incredible Jackie Robinson memorabilia and artifacts, most of which has never been on display at Dodger Stadium before.

“This is the third year we’ve done the Pop-up Museum, it’s really something that’s very special for fans,” said Dodger Stadium Tours supervisor Kayla Rodiger, who coordinates the museum. “It’s not something we can do during the regular season because we don’t have the space, but during the off-season we can certainly put a bunch of stuff together for a museum for fans to come and enjoy.

“The reason it’s Jackie is it’s going to be his 100th birthday next year which is a huge deal,” Rodiger added. “We’re very proud to be the organization that helped break the color barrier in baseball and ultimately helped change the world as we know it. So celebrating Jackie, especially this year, is very fitting.”

Although there are many other great items on display at the 2018-2019 edition of the Dodger Stadium Pop-up museum, the Jackie Robinson theme is unmistakable. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Among the many Jackie Robinson items on display is a game-used bat and the hat that he was wearing when the Brooklyn Dodgers won the 1955 World Series over their cross-borough rival New York Yankees.

The card reads: “Jackie Robinson’s Baseball Bat. In 1949 Jackie won a National League batting title with a .349 batting average (BA). Overall, he had a .311 BA with the Dodgers and a .333 BA in All-Star games.”
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“Shown here is “Jumbo” Dalessio running off with what he thought was Johnny Podres hat at the end of the final game of the 1955 World Series. However camera footage shows the hat belonged to Jackie Robinson. Fans often were permitted on the field at conclusion of games during the 1950’s.”
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

As a stark reminder of what Robinson had to go through as Major League Baseball’s first black player, this was also on display at the Dodger Stadium Pop-up Museum:

(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka – Click on image to enlarge)

But Robinson wasn’t the only former Dodger great with artifacts and memorabilia on display at the Pop-up museum. There were items from Jim Gilliam, Charlie Neal, Don Newcombe, Fernando Valenzuela, and Steve Garvey, of which the latter three will be enshrined as the inaugural class of The Legends of Dodgers Baseball during the 2019 regular season.

Along with Dodger greats Don Newcombe and Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela is one of the three inaugural members of The Legends of Dodger Baseball. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“Being Mexican-American myself, the tie-ins with Fernando, and then even go to guys like [Hideo] Nomo, Chan Ho [Park] and all these guys that the Dodgers have always embraced this international feel to the game,” said longtime Dodger fan and Pop-up Museum visitor Ric Romero of Los Angeles. “Even like now with [Yasiel] Puig and all the different Cuban guys and international players, the Dodgers are always on the forefront of bringing in talent, trailblazing.”

How does Romero feel about Fernando being included in the inaugural Legends of Dodgers Baseball class?

“You come to enough Dodgers games they always do like a little 30-second montage for Fernando, but for him to actually get that kind of honor, I think it’s that first step towards building some momentum to make a case for him for the Hall of Fame,” said Romero.

The Dodger Stadium Pop-up Museum will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with additional holiday openings daily from December 24 through January 6, excluding Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Museum will also be open to fans on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 21) and President’s Day (February 18).

Admission is $15, and fans can purchase tickets in person at the museum doors or in advance by visiting Dodgers.com/Museum. A visit to the pop-up museum will also be built into all Stadium Tours on exhibit dates. More information on Dodger Stadium tours can be found at Dodgers.com/Tours. Parking is free for all museum goers.

Fans are encouraged to allow approximately 45 minutes to enjoy the entire museum and to sync up their visits to coincide with interactive talks about the museum’s memorabilia with Dodger Stadium tour guides, which take place at the bottom of every hour starting at 11:30 a.m.