Now Batting, Number…18?
Mini-update from Roch Kubatko’s invaluable Spring Training coverage. Yesterday, catcher Ramon Hernandez arrived in Jupiter, FL to play the Marlins, but forgot to bring his orange #55 jersey with him. With the top half of his uniform sitting in his locker in Fort Lauderdale, Ramon wore #18 for one game only. As we’ve seen on the Spring Training Roster, #18 is the lowest number not claimed by a player or coach (not counting retired numbers, of course). It has most recently been worn by a string of catchers: Javy Lopez (2004-2006); Chris Widger (2006); and Alberto Castillo (2007), who spent some time in Baltimore while Ramon battled injuries last year. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find photographic evidence of Hernandez in #18 yesterday. If anyone comes across a picture, you can send it to kevin AT oriolesnumbers.com.
Tags: 18, 55, orioles news, spring training
March 1st, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Hey,
I’m the other end of Mets by the Numbers, the book. Despite being lousy at math, I’m fixated by baseball numbers and from the moment I saw Jon Springer’s site in 2004 I knew this had to be a book. Others in the publishing world had varying opinions on the subject (more than one person used the word “stupid,” but most came up with less harsh words to say the same thing). Love that the fever has spread south (of here at least) because the Orioles have a great tradition, stadium, and fan base that’s been hijacked for the last decade. Trust me, Mets fans understand how these things happen. Been to Camden Yards 10 or so times and actually got to Memorial Stadium for a Red Sox-O’s game back in the 1980s when a Boston game did not include 10 Saux fan for every O’s fan. I also just started a site of my own (metsilverman.com), though it’s not as subject specific as yours, but I just wanted to say good luck. I’m signing Meet the Mets at the O’s-Mets game at Port St. Lucie on March 12. Let me know if you want to find out anything from afar about those O’s numbers or need a pic or two. (Maybe Hernandez will forget his jersey again.) It’s hard to get too close to those orange unis without getting singed.
Matt
March 24th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
[…] the game at first base in the middle innings, he wore #18, just as Ramon Hernandez had done in a similar situation earlier this Spring. I know that college basketball teams are required to have a spare “blood […]