MLB - UNIFORM NUMBERS

The first MLB player to have his number retired was Lou Gehrig (4), in July 1939, following his retirement due to ALS. Since then, over 150 other people have had their numbers retired, some with more than one team. This includes managers and coaches as MLB is the only one of the major North American professional leagues in which the coaching staff wear the same uniforms as the players.

The first MLB team to permanently adopt the practice of using numbers on uniforms to better identify one player from another was the New York Yankees of 1929. The Yankees’ original approach was to simply assign the numbers 1 through 8 to the regular starting lineup in their normal batting order. Hence, Babe Ruth wore number 3 and Lou Gehrig number 4.

Carlos May played 10 seasons in the Major Leagues.  He was born on May 17, 1948 and wore number 17 on his uniform, meaning that his jersey read both his name and number and his birthday.