With the Reggie Bush uniform number issue (see thread in NFL section), I got to thinking about Blue Jays pitcher Josh Towers. The last time I saw that guy pitch it just didn't look right. He wears a single digit number. I believe he's the only pitcher in MLB with this distinction. I can't think of a retired pitcher who wore a single digit uniform number, unless I'm just not thinkin' right now. Can anybody post a list of pitchers who wore single digits? Does anyone know why Towers wears #7?
It's a baseball superstition that it's bad luck for a pitcher to wear a single digit number. From the AP: Newly acquired pitcher Rob Bell of the Texas Rangers wore the No. 6 when he made his debut with the team on Tuesday. Bell, who was traded to the Rangers by the Cincinnati Reds on June 15, may have hoped to change his luck -- he was 0-5 with the Reds -- by changing his team and uniform number. He wore No. 29 with Cincinnati, but by changing to No. 6, became one of only 11 pitchers since 1960 to sport a single-digit uniform number. The tradition of giving double digits to hurlers goes back to the advent of uniform numbers in the late 20s and early 30s. Teams tended to assign the manager No. 1 and the starting position players numbers two through nine. That left only double digits for the starting pitchers.
Babe Ruth # 3 Pitching Glossary Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 1914 19 BOS AL 2 1 4 3 1 0 0 0 23.0 21 12 10 1 7 3 0 0 100 0 3.91 2.68 68 1.217 1915 20 BOS AL 18 8 32 28 16 1 3 0 217.7 166 80 59 3 85 112 6 9 895 1 2.44 2.78 114 1.153 1916 21 BOS AL 23 12 44 41 23 9 3 1 323.7 230 83 63 0 118 170 8 3 1300 1 1.75 2.77 158 1.075 1917 22 BOS AL 24 13 41 38 35 6 2 2 326.3 244 91 73 2 108 128 11 5 1313 0 2.01 2.58 128 1.079 1918 23 BOS AL 13 7 20 19 18 1 0 0 166.3 125 51 41 1 49 40 2 3 660 1 2.22 2.69 121 1.046 1919 24 BOS AL 9 5 17 15 12 0 2 1 133.3 148 59 44 2 58 30 2 5 591 1 2.97 3.02 102 1.545 1920 25 NYY AL 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 3 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 17 0 4.50 3.82 85 1.250 1921 26 NYY AL 2 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 9.0 14 10 9 1 9 2 0 0 49 0 9.00 4.24 47 2.556 1930 35 NYY AL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 9.0 11 3 3 0 2 3 0 0 39 0 3.00 4.32 144 1.444 1933 38 NYY AL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 9.0 12 5 5 0 3 0 0 0 42 0 5.00 3.90 78 1.667 +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 10 Yr WL% .671 94 46 163 148 107 17 11 4 1221.3 974 398 309 10 441 488 29 25 5006 4 2.28 2.77 122 1.159 +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 162 Game Avg 20 10 35 32 23 3 2 0 267.0 212 87 67 2 96 106 6 5 1094 0 0 2.28 2.77 122 1.159 Career High 24 13 44 41 35 9 3 2 326.3 244 91 73 3 118 170 11 9 1313 0 1 1.75 3.02 158 1.046 * indicates the value is park adjusted
Babe didnt wear #3 until he came to the Yankees at which time he became a hitter. As you can see, he only appeared in 5 games in his yankee career.
And so did Jose Canseco and Todd Zeile, among many others. I knew not to mention Ruth's name earlier in the thread because when he was a pitcher in Boston he wore no number on his uniform.
but at the sucess of those players pitching and the babes yea he wasnt a true pitcher with the Yankees but they still used him on a needed basis
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...103-4853455-9691060?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 I saw this book in the store today. Atlee Hammaker was the last NL pitcher to wear a single digit. He wore 7 in 1985.
The Yankees didn't start using numbers until 1929 (the Indians did it the same year), so he actually only pitched two games with a single digit uniform number - interestingly enough, two complete game wins.
I want to know what happened to stir-ups? Staples of the 70's. Now players wear their pant legs down to their cleats. Some wear the single colored sock high but no sign of the stir-ups.
