Jackie Robinson started playing Major League Baseball when he was 28.
He played hard for ten years. By the end of the 1956 season, his body was wearing down. Plus, Branch Rickey, who always had been his strongest supporter, had left the team.
Robinson heard that the Dodgers were going to trade him to the New York Giants. After thinking about his aging body and how much he liked the Dodgers, Robinson decided to retire. He wanted to try new things.
