Uniform number (Major League Baseball) facts for kids

Uniform numbers help tell different baseball players and coaches apart. These numbers are printed on the back of baseball uniforms. Over time, a player's number can become very special to them and their fans. It can even become a symbol of their amazing career. Sometimes, people even have superstitions or beliefs about certain numbers!

Why Baseball Teams Retire Numbers

Many baseball teams decide to retire the numbers of important players who once played for them. When a number is retired, it means that no one else on that team can ever wear that number again. It's a way to honor a player's legacy and contributions to the team. A player's number is only retired after they have stopped playing baseball.

Jackie Robinson and Number 42

The number "42" is very special in Major League Baseball (MLB). In 1997, MLB decided to retire this number for all teams. This was done to honor Jackie Robinson, who was the first Black player in Major League Baseball. He broke barriers and changed the game forever.

Players who were already wearing number 42 at the time were allowed to keep using it. But no new players could choose it. New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera was the last player to wear number 42. He stopped playing in 2013.

Lou Gehrig's Retired Number 4

In 1939, Lou Gehrig's number 4 became the very first number to be retired in MLB history. This happened at Yankee Stadium. It was a big moment, showing how much he meant to the New York Yankees.

Images for kids

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  Hank Aaron wore uniform number 44 with the Atlanta Braves.

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  José Méndez of the Cuban Stars, seen with a uniform number on his left sleeve during a game in Chicago (1909).

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  Players of the Cleveland Indians wearing uniforms with numbers on their left sleeves in 1916. The Indians were the first team to introduce numbered uniforms in the MLB.

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  Players' equipment and accessories often also include their uniform numbers, as seen on Ross Detwiler's glove.

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  Pitchers on the 2018 New York Mets wearing uniform numbers which are characteristically all greater than 30.

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  In 1939, Lou Gehrig's #4 (here displayed at Yankee Stadium) become the first number to be retired in the history of the MLB.

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  Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers wearing a uniform with his distinctive #42 in 1954.