*(CNN) — Former big leaguers and current youth baseball players were on hand Monday in Kansas as officials unveiled a new statue memorializing Jackie Robinson to replace one stolen and damaged beyond repair this year.
The League 42 youth baseball league revealed the statue of Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947, at a night ceremony before hundreds of people, including dozens of youngsters, at the spot in the Wichita park from which the old statue was taken. League youth player Marcus Jones paid tribute to the MLB Hall of Famer, telling the crowd Robinson “put a spark in all of us.”
The dignitaries included former American League Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia, who in 2022 was named as a special assistant to the commissioner in part to “promote equity in baseball,” and 13-year MLB player Jeremy Guthrie, who played for four seasons with the Kansas City Royals.
“Someone asked me earlier today what made me come here today. And just thinking about it, it was me wanting to show up. Jackie showed up every single day of his life in baseball and in his personal life, every single day for us,” said Sabathia, who also is on the board of the Players Alliance of pro baseball and softball players who advocate for equity in the game. “I thought it was important for me to show up here today.”
The original Robinson statue was stolen shortly after midnight on January 25, police have said. Firefighters responded days later to a call about a trash can blaze at another park where they found pieces of the statue after extinguishing the fire, according to authorities.
Monday’s unveiling of the new statue marked a moment of healing and resilience, said Tony Reagins, MLB’s chief baseball development officer.
“Jackie’s legacy through all of these young people is alive and well. Jackie’s nine values are alive and well, and we (in MLB) are thrilled to be a part of this,” he said.
A man who pleaded guilty to stealing the statue and other crimes was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison and $41,500 in restitution for the theft, according to the Associated Press.
His actions stemmed from a fentanyl addiction, he told a Kansas court.
Only bronze shoes remained after the theft
The new statue depicts Robinson, who also played one season in the Negro Leagues in Kansas City, Missouri, with a bat on his right shoulder. The first statue was cut at the ankles, and all that remained were two bronze shoes.
A GoFundMe campaign raised money for the replacement statue. The original mold was still viable, and a duplicate was made, the AP reported.
Donations helped fund the new statue, as well as improvements to the plaza where it stands, the nonprofit’s facilities, and its programming, League 42 Executive Director Bob Lutz, said, according to the AP.
“I’m just simply amazed by the support we’ve gotten from so many since this heinous act happened back in January,” Lutz said at Monday’s ceremony.
About 600 children play in the urban youth baseball league that takes its name from Robinson’s number with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson – who was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1947 and its Most Valuable Player in 1949 – died in 1972.
CNN’s Andy Rose contributed to this report.
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