Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Last #42's

Busy, busy, busy. That's been the story of the week so far. I know I'm a day late for celebrating Jackie Robinson's debut and the resulting wearing #42 party, but I thought this was interesting nonetheless. Following the game thread on Brew Crew Ball last night, someone asked the name of the last Brewers player to wear #42 on his uniform. I thought figuring out each player for every MLB team would make for an interesting list. I haven't included the players who have worn #42 on April 15th this season or last season. I used Baseball-Almanac.com, a useful site for uniform numbers and lots of other neat baseball trivia.

Jackie Robinson's number was retired on the 50th anniversary of his major league debut in 1997. Players who wore #42 at that time (like Mariano Rivera) were allowed to continue wearing it.

Last #42's For Each MLB Team

TeamPlayerYear(s) Wearing
#42 With Team
Arizona DiamondbacksNever IssuedN/A
Atlanta BravesMicah Bowie1999*
Baltimore OriolesLenny Webster1997-1999
Boston Red SoxMo Vaughn1991-1998
Chicago CubsDave Smith1991-1992
Chicago White SoxScott Ruffcorn1996
Cincinnati RedsRoger Salkeld1996
Cleveland IndiansMike Jackson1997-1999
Colorado RockiesScott Karl2000
Detroit TigersJose Lima2001-2002
Florida MarlinsDennis Cook1997
Houston AstrosJose Lima1997-2001
Kansas City RoyalsTom Goodwin1995-1997
Los Angeles AngelsMo Vaughn1999-2000
Los Angeles DodgersRay Lamb1969**
Milwaukee BrewersScott Karl1995-1999
Minnesota TwinsMike Jackson2002
New York MetsMo Vaughn2002-2003
New York YankeesMariano Rivera1995-2007
Oakland AthleticsBuddy Groom1996-1997
Philadelphia PhilliesToby Borland1994-1996
Pittsburgh PiratesJason Schmidt1996-1997
San Diego PadresPedro Martinez1993-1994
San Francisco GiantsKirk Rueter1996-1997
Seattle MarinersButch Huskey1999
St. Louis CardinalsJose Oliva1995
Tampa Bay RaysNever IssuedN/A
Texas RangersDennis Cook1995-1996
Toronto Blue JaysXavier Hernandez1989
Washington NationalsKirk Rueter1993-1996

*I'm not sure how Bowie got #42 when he made his major league debut in 1999. He appeared in three games with the Braves before being traded to Chicago and wearing #53 for the Cubs. On the off chance this is an error, the player to last wear #42 for the Braves before Bowie was Armando Reynoso in 1991-1992.
**The Dodgers retired Jackie Robinson's number in June 1972.

1 comment:

Kirsten Schultz said...

I think it would be interesting to rank these players by their playing abilities too. Just something to think about for tomorrow...