June 26, 1932: A week before FDR wins the Democratic Party nomination for President, the Reds wear permanent uniform numbers for the first time in club history during a DH against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Redland Field. The Pirates also wore numbers for the first time that day.
The Yankees became the first team to ear permanent uniform numbers in ’29. The other AL clubs followed suit in ’31. On June 22, 1932, the NL passed a resolution requiring its clubs to assign uniform numbers. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that “fans approved of it unanimously as it is now very easy to identify the athletes.”
(See the book for a list of the players and their numbers.)
All “Reds trivia†posts come from Greg Rhodes and John Snyder’s fabulous book, “Redleg Journal†(see link for purchasing) and are used with Greg’s permission.
Thanks again to Greg Rhodes for permission to use his material.