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1903 Official Scoring Card |
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Team: New York Highlanders |
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Team: Boston Pilgrims |
at: Hilltop Park |
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This entertaining and informative article, was written by Sean Holtz - the webmaster of Baseball Almanac (www.baseball-almanac.com). All the information found in the article was taken directly from the site and Sean welcomes your comments and your visit. In 1974, the Bronx Bombers honored The Chairman of the Board by retiring his number. The crafty left-handed hurler had retired seven years earlier after spending his entire sixteen year career wearing pinstripes. Most Yankee fans know that their winningest (236) pitcher wore number 16, but sometimes forget that when he broke into the big leagues on July 1, 1950 he was wearing number 19. Who had "his" number in 1950? Who had "his" number before that? Working back in time, the number was not worn in 1950 or 1949. In 1948 it was worn by pitcher Bill Bevens who sat out the season, but had worn it since 1946 when he took the number from Frank Hiller, another pitcher. In 1945 catcher Herb Crompton, who had not played since the 1937 season, wore it for thirty-three games behind the plate (and three more while pinch hitting). 1944 was only the second season where it had been shared - the first coming in 1932. Two more pitchers had it: Joe Page, who wanted number 11 but had to wait for Bob Collins to finish wearing it, and Mel Queen, who seemed to enjoy #36, but never really picked a favorite number during his eight year career. A chart to illustrate the "early" history of number 16:
Johnny Lindell wore it on April 18, 1941 - his only game of the entire season and he pinch-hit. The following season he switched to #18 and appeared as a pitcher, but decided a year later that outfield suited him better and never pitched again for the Yanks. Monte Pearson, a right-hand hurler acquired from the Indians, also wore #16, had it the second longest, and never wore another number as a Yankee. Did he want it #16 when he was hurled for the Tribe? Maybe, but it was taken by Clint Brown. Had Cleveland know that the first year he wore #16 (which was in 1936 as a Yankee) he would become an All-Star and take his team to the World Series - for four consecutive seasons no less - they might have asked Clint to reconsider. Skipping back a bit, the first Bomber to wear number 16 truly set the tone. Tom Zachary had pitched since 1918 (when he went 2-0 for the Athletics) and came to the Yanks after being claimed on waivers August 23, 1928. He was the first to wear #16 and during that legendary season (1929 - the first where Yankees wore numbers) he went 12-0, posted a 2.48 ERA, and set down a legacy that would last half-a-century. Number 16 has been worn more than one-thousand three-hundred fifty-five times in Major League history. It has been retired by three American League teams: the Chicago White Sox (pitcher Ted Lyons), Detroit Tigers (pitcher Hal Newhouser) & the New York Yankees (pitcher Whitey Ford). No National League team has yet retired #16, perhaps a pitcher there should wear it for a while.
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Web Links: Yankees Fan Network UltimateYankees Fast Facts: In Memory Of Bobby Bonds (1946-2003) Bonds played an All-Star season in right-field for the Yanks in 1975, hitting 32 homers and stealing 30 bases. "I would rather pitch a double-header against any other club than one game against the Yankees." St. Louis pitcher Milt Gaston just try to keep him out of jail." David Cone on teammate David Wells Trivia: What Yankee hit seven more homeruns at Yankee Stadium than Babe Ruth? Have a trivia question? Email it to us and maybe we'll use it in an upcoming issue. |
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