As in many sports, a baseball player's (or coach's) uniform number has the purpose of identifying the player. However, it has come over time to have a much more significant meaning to the player and fans. A number can be symbolic of a player's legacy, and has resulted in all kinds of superstition. Uniform numbers are placed behind baseball uniforms and sometimes on the both the backs and fronts of uniforms.
The earliest photographic evidence of the use of uniform numbers comes from a 1909 Chicago Daily News picture of pitching great José Mendez. A legendary Cuban ballplayer, Mendez was a member of the inaugural class of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. In the photograph, Mendez is seen in his Cuban Stars uniform with a number “12” on his left sleeve.
Inspired by hockey’s and football’s use of uniform numbers, the Cleveland Indians became the first big league club to experiment with numbered uniforms when they took the field at League Park in Cleveland, on June 26, 1916, donning large numerals on their left sleeves. The experiment lasted just a few weeks that season and, after a brief trial the following year, was abandoned altogether. The numbers and corresponding names were listed in the club’s scorecards, and so, perhaps, this date also marked the first time a ballpark vendor called out: “Programs, get your programs. You can’t tell the players without a program.”
Not only were the Cleveland Indians the first big league club to wear uniform numbers, they were the first to wear numbers on the backs of their jerseys. The first MLB game to have both teams wear numbers on their jerseys was Indians vs Yankees May 13, 1929. The practice has often been credited as originating with the New York Yankees in 1929, as the reigning World Champions were scheduled to open the season donning uniforms with the new numbering style. However, rain cancelled the Yankees’ April 16 home opener, while the Indians were blessed with clear skies that same day. By, the mid-1930s, every major league had adopted uniform numbers, though it was not until 1937 that the Philadelphia Athletics donned numbers on their home, as well as road, uniforms.
At one time, a baseball player's number was specifically related to his place in the batting lineup. The Yankees regular starting eight, for example wore numbers 1 through 8, while the backup catcher wore number 9. Starting pitchers generally took numbers 10, 11, 12, and 14, (avoiding the superstitious #13, although some pitchers tried it, perhaps most notably the star-crossed pitcher Ralph Branca), while reserve pitchers and position players took the remaining numbers, 15 through 26 (as the roster usually is limited to 25 players.)
Today, in Major League Baseball, numbers are taken by players very much indiscriminately with regards to these positions. Only pitchers often have higher numbers than other players based on the old system, and certain numbers have been held by many high-profile players in a particular position.
Even to this day, low numbers are generally associated with being an everyday player, and many players try to get one, no matter what it is. This is also due to the fact that in Spring Training, Minor League Baseball players unlikely to make the roster are usually given very high numbers, and many players feel that the higher the number, the less likely you are to make the team after Spring Training.
In general, few regular players have numbers above the 50s, and most of those whose numbers are in the 50s are pitchers, though this trend has been changing in the past generation. Infielders tend to have the lowest numbers of all.
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