Baseball has long been a game of numbers. From batting averages to earned run averages, the game has been quantified, analyzed, and broken down like few other sports. The result of this analysis has been an ever-evolving understanding of what works and what doesn’t work in the game. But even within this numerical world, some numbers stand out as the rarest in baseball history.
65: The Most Rarely-Worn Number
The rarest number in baseball is 65. It is the least worn number in the Major Leagues. Only four players have ever worn it in the history of baseball. Those players are Jerry Reuss, Jeff Reardon, Jason Isringhausen, and Pat Neshek. Reuss wore it for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1981 to 1983, Reardon for the Montreal Expos from 1983 to 1984, Isringhausen for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2006 to 2007, and Neshek for the Minnesota Twins in 2010.
49: The Most Rarely-Retired Number
The second rarest number in baseball is 49. It is the most rarely-retired number in the Major Leagues. Only four numbers have been retired by all 30 MLB teams, and 49 is one of them. The other three are Jackie Robinson’s 42, Roberto Clemente’s 21, and Ted Williams’ 9. The 49 was retired by the New York Mets in 1996 to honor pitcher Dwight Gooden, who wore the number during his time with the team.
The Rarest Numbers Across Different Leagues
Though 65 and 49 may be the rarest numbers in the Major Leagues, there are some other numbers that stand out as rare in other leagues. In the Minor Leagues, for example, number 14 is one of the rarest. This is due to the fact that it was retired in many Minor League teams in honor of former Minor League player Ray Chapman, who died after being struck in the head by a pitch in 1920.
Other leagues have retired numbers that are rare across all levels of baseball. For example, the number 42 was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997 in honor of Jackie Robinson, who was the first black player in the league. This number is now retired across all levels of baseball, making it one of the rarest numbers in the sport.
The Unusual Numbers in Baseball
In addition to the rare numbers discussed above, there are also some unusual numbers that are rarely worn in the Major Leagues. The number 0, for example, is a number that has only been worn by two players in the history of the Major Leagues. Those two players are Jose Bautista, who wore it for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2004 to 2008, and John McDonald, who wore it for the Cleveland Indians from 2009 to 2010.
The number 00 has also only been worn by two players in the Major Leagues. Those players are Carlos Delgado, who wore it for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1993 to 2004, and Orlando Hudson, who wore it for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2006 to 2010.
Conclusion
Baseball is a game of numbers, and some of those numbers are rarer than others. The rarest number in baseball is 65, which is the least worn number in the Major Leagues. The second rarest number is 49, which is the most rarely-retired number in the Major Leagues. Other rare numbers include 0 and 00, which have only been worn by two players in the Major Leagues. Numbers such as 14 are rare in the Minor Leagues, while 42 is retired across all levels of baseball. Understanding the rarity of these numbers can help fans better appreciate the history of the game.