On this day 84 years ago the Yankees became the first team to make numbers a permanent part of their uniform. Previously numbers had been used intermittently, even appearing on the uniform sleeve at times, but in ’29 they would remain. Other teams quickly followed suit and by 1932 uniform numbers were standard across the league. Numbers were initially assigned based on a player’s place in the batting order. Therefore, in 1929 the original crop of numbers given to the starters was:
- Earle Combs
- Mark Koenig
- Babe Ruth
- Lou Gehrig
- Bob Meusel
- Tony Lazzeri
- Leo Durocher
- Johnny Grabowski
- Benny Bengough
- Bill Dickey
Grabkowski, Bengough and Dickey shared catching duties and the same place in the batting order.
* Â Â * Â Â * Â Â * Â Â *
Follow Dan on Twitter @161st_and_River
