On July 4, 1939, the New York Yankees retired uniform #4 for Lou Gehrig, the first retired number in Major League history. View our comprehensive lists for both American League Retired Numbers and National League Retired Numbers.
Did you know that on April 15, 1997, the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's Major League debut, Major League Baseball retired 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, not for the Dodgers franchise, but for every franchise? Commissioner Bud Selig said that day, "In honor of Jackie, Major League Basbeall is taking the unprecedented step of retiring his uniform number in perpetuity. Number 42, from this day forward, will never again be issued by a Major League calub. Number 42 belongs to Jackie Robinson for the ages." Jackie Robinson Day was born and history started:
Major League Baseball did, however, permit those players, whose regular number was #42 on April 15, 1997, to continue wearing it until they retired. The Yankees' Mariano Rivera, who retired in 2013, was the last player permitted to regularly wear #42.
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Jackie's Major League debut in 2007, all the Los Angeles Dodgers' uniformed personnel wore Jackie's number. Ken Griffey, Jr. asked for and received permission to wear Jackie's number from Commissioner Bud Selig and Jackie's wife, Rachel, for that day.
Each year, since April 15, 2009, all major league uniformed personnel (players, coaches, and managers) and umpires wear #42 on their uniforms for that day, which has come to be known as "Jackie Robinson Day."
Countless stories about superstitions, gimmicks, unique stories, and anecdotes exist about uniform numbers including: Joe Beimel, #97, worn because his first child was born in 1997. David Wells, #3 in 2005, worn because his favorite player (Babe Ruth) wore it. J.T. Snow, #84, worn to honor his father Jack, a former NFL player. Bill Voiselle, #96, worn for his hometown of Ninety Six, South Carolina. Omar Olivares, #00, worn because it also represented his initials. Share more anecdotes about baseball uniform numbers on Baseball Fever (our forum for serious fans) today.