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On this page, you'll find plenty of facts, diversions, and minutiae related to the Orioles and the numbers they've worn. Again, if you have any corrections to make, or if there's anything else you'd like to see on this page, say the word.

Retired Elsewhere Trading Places This Number Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us...
One Player, Many Numbers Most and Least Popular Numbers Who Wore It First? Who Wore It Longest?

Retired Elsewhere

The following is a list of Orioles players who have had their uniform numbers retired by other organizations.

Player	Number	Team	Date Retired
Luis Aparicio	11	Chicago White Sox	08/14/1984
Harold Baines	3	Chicago White Sox	08/20/1989
Reggie Jackson	44	New York Yankees	08/14/1993
Reggie Jackson	9	Oakland Athletics	05/22/2004
Johnny Oates	26	Texas Rangers	08/05/2005
Tim Raines, Sr.	30	Montreal Expos	06/19/2004
Robin Roberts	36	Philadelphia Phillies	1962
Frank Robinson	20	Cincinnati Reds	05/22/1998 (Also retired by Orioles in 1972)

Trading Places

On several occasions, a player acquired in a trade will end up wearing the number of the player he was traded for. In the event of a multi-player trade, only the players involved in the "number swap" are listed. To be eligible, the new player must have worn the number at the earliest possible date.

Date	Outgoing Player	Sent to	Incoming Player	Number Taken
05/12/1954	Neil (Connie) Berry	Kansas City (minors)	Jim Brideweser	2
05/25/1954	Dick Littlefield	Pittsburgh Pirates	Cal Abrams	18
06/01/1954	Vic Wertz	Cleveland Indians	Bob Chakales	20
05/27/1955	Bobby Young	Cleveland Indians	Hank Majeski	5
06/15/1955	Billy Cox	Cleveland Indians	Dave Pope	3 (Cox did not report; retired instead)
06/15/1955	Gene Woodling	Cleveland Indians	Wally Westlake	14
07/13/1955	Hoot Evers	Cleveland Indians	Bill Wight	17
05/21/1956	Dave Philley	Chicago White Sox	Bob Nieman	4
05/21/1956	Jim Wilson	Chicago White Sox	Connie Johnson	36
08/17/1956	Hal Smith	Kansas City Athletics	Joe Ginsberg	22
06/13/1957	Dick Williams	Cleveland Indians	Jim Busby	23
05/26/1959	Lenny Green	Washington Senators I	Albie Pearson	21
06/15/1959	Jack Harshman	Boston Red Sox	Billy Hoeft	29
04/12/1961	Chuck Essegian	Kansas City Athletics	Dick Williams	10
06/08/1961	Gene Stephens	Kansas City Athletics	Marv Throneberry	8
11/28/1967	Eddie Fisher	Cleveland Indians	John O'Donoghue	28
06/15/1968	Bruce Howard	Washington Senators II	Fred Valentine	16
06/15/1976	Grant Jackson	New York Yankees	Tippy Martinez	23
06/15/1976	Ken Holtzman	New York Yankees	Dave Pagan	30
06/13/1977	Dyar Miller	California Angels	Dick Drago	37
07/28/1995	Damon Buford	New York Mets	Bobby Bonilla	26
08/10/1998	Jeffrey Hammonds	Cincinnati Reds	Willie Greene	11
03/29/1999	Danny Clyburn	Tampa Bay Devil Rays	Jason Johnson	41
12/10/1999	Jesse Orosco	New York Mets	Chuck McElroy	47
12/13/2001	John Wasdin	Philadelphia Phillies	Chris Brock	45
06/21/2004	Denny Bautista	Kansas City Royals	Jason Grimsley	16
07/19/2004	Mike DeJean	New York Mets	Karim Garcia	47

This Number Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us...

The Rolling Stones once said that you can't always get what you want. This holds true for uniform numbers, of course. So what happens when two players converge on the same number? Here are some examples.

Year	Player	Number	Incumbent Player	Result
1962	Robin Roberts	36	Darrell Johnson	Roberts wore 38
1962	Johnny Temple	16	Boog Powell	Temple wore 2
1964	Harvey Haddix	31	Harry Breechen (Coach)	Haddix wore 30
1968	Don Buford	7	Mark Belanger	Buford wore 9
1971	Grant Jackson	29	Dick Hall	Jackson wore 23
1974	Ross Grimsley	48	George Staller (Coach)	Grimsley wore 39; after Staller left in 1976, Grimsley switched to 48
1974	Jim Northrup	5	Brooks Robinson	Northrup wore 28, switched to 2 in 1975
1975	Lee May	23	Grant Jackson	May wore 14
1976	Reggie Jackson	9	Dave Duncan	Duncan switched to 25
1977	Dick Drago	41	Jim Frey (Coach)	Drago wore 37
1977	Nelson Briles	34	Larry Harlow	Briles wore 55; Harlow switched to 6 in 1978, giving Briles 34
1978	Elrod Hendricks	10	Terry Crowley	Hendricks wore 44
1984	Wayne Gross	10	Todd Cruz	Gross wore 14
1985	Lee Lacy	17	Joe Nolan	Lacy wore 27
1985	Don Aase	46	Mike Flanagan	Aase wore 41
1987	Rick Burleson	7	Cal Ripken, Sr. (Manager)	Burleson wore 17
1987	Terry Kennedy	16	Scott McGregor	Kennedy wore 15
1987	Ray Knight	22	Jim Palmer (Retired)	Knight wore 25; Carl Nichols switched from 25 to 26
1987	Rene Gonzales	8	Cal Ripken, Jr.	Gonzales wore 88
1989	Keith Moreland	6	Joe Orsulak	Orsulak switched to 1; Moreland retired and Orsulak wore 6 in 1990
1990	Ron Kittle	42	Pete Harnisch	Harnisch switched to 17
1991	Ernie Whitt	12	Mike Devereaux	Whitt wore 11
1991	Glenn Davis	27	Dave W. Johnson	Davis wore 37 until 1993, when he switched back to 27
1993	Harold Reynolds	4	Earl Weaver (Retired)	Reynolds wore 6, switched to 25 in April
1993	Paul Carey	8	Cal Ripken, Jr.	Carey wore 88
1994	Chris Sabo	17	Dick Bosman (Coach)	Bosman switched to 27
1994	Lee Smith	47	Brad Pennington	Pennington switched to 29
1995	Andy Van Slyke	18	Damon Buford	Buford switched to 26
1995	Scott Erickson	19	Ben McDonald	Erickson wore 21; McDonald signed with MIL and Erickson wore 19 in 1996
1996	Mike Devereaux	12	Roberto Alomar	Devereaux wore 10
1996	B. J. Surhoff	5	Brooks Robinson (Retired)	Surhoff wore 17
1997	Jimmy Key	22	Jim Palmer (Retired)	Key wore 21
1997	Eric Davis	44	Elrod Hendricks (Coach)	Davis wore 24
1997	Harold Baines	3	Tony Tarasco	Baines wore 10; Tarasco later switched to 43, giving Baines 3
1999	Albert Belle	8	Cal Ripken, Jr.	Belle wore 88
1999	Jeff Conine	19	Scott Erickson	Conine wore 18
1999	Will Clark	22	Jim Palmer (Retired)	Clark wore 12, switched to 23 in 2000
2001	Pat Hentgen	41	Jason Johnson	Johnson switched to 16
2001	Tim Raines, Sr.	30	Mike Hargrove (Manager)	Raines wore 11 at first; then Hargrove switched to 21, giving Raines 30
2003	B. J. Surhoff	17	Geronimo Gil	Gil switched to 9
2004	Miguel Tejada	4	Earl Weaver (Retired)	Tejada wore 10
2004	Javy Lopez	8	Cal Ripken, Jr. (Retired)	Lopez wore 18
2004	Lee Mazzilli (Manager)	13	Rodrigo Lopez	Lopez switched to 19; in 2005, Mazzilli switched to 12, giving Lopez 13
2004	Rafael Palmeiro	25	Jay Gibbons	Gibbons switched to 31
2004	Ray Miller (Coach)	31	Jay Gibbons	Miller wore 34
2005	James Baldwin	23	Alejandro Freire	Baldwin wore 19; Freire later switched to 58, giving Baldwin 23
2006	LaTroy Hawkins	32	Luis Matos	Hawkins wore 23; after Matos released July 6, Hawkins switched to 32
2006	Ramon Hernandez	55	Tom Trebelhorn (Coach)	Trebelhorn switched to 26
2007	Todd Williams	53	Chad Bradford	Williams wore 30
2008	John Shelby (Coach)	37	Chris Ray	Shelby wore 38

One Player, Many Numbers

To my knowledge, lefthanded pitcher Billy O'Dell is the only Oriole to ever wear four different numbers as a player. The "bonus baby" joined the team in June 1954 almost immediately after being signed; he wore 24. After seven appearances, he was sent to the minors for more seasoning. He would rejoin the team in 1956, wearing 18 for a four-game cameo. In 1957 O'Dell finally stuck, splitting the season between the starting rotation and the bullpen. He pitched effectively with number 38 on his back (2.69 ERA), in spite of his 4-10 W-L record. In 1958, O'Dell switched to 41 and had a year to remember. The highlight was appearing in the All-Star Game in front of the hometown fans in Memorial Stadium. He earned the save with three spotless innings, baffling such greats as Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Ernie Banks! If it ain't broke, don't fix it - O'Dell stayed in the 41 jersey in 1959 and made a return trip to the Midsummer Classic, although he was touched up for a run in one inning of work this time. On the strength of his back-to-back All-Star seasons (24 wins, 9 saves, 2.95 ERA), the Orioles traded Billy O'Dell along with pitcher Billy Loes to the San Francisco Giants. In return, the O's received catcher Roger McCardell (who never played in the majors again), pitcher Gordon Jones, and talented but enigmatic outfielder Jackie Brandt. Brandt was the centerpiece of the deal for the Birds, and made the All-Star squad himself in 1961 (.297 AVG, 16 HR, 72 RBI). However, his performance was never quite up to that standard afterward. O'Dell, meanwhile, notched 19 wins in 1962. His career was otherwise solid but unspectacular. He added two more uniform numbers to his post-Baltimore career: 31 with the Giants and Pirates and 33 with the Braves.

The following list contains players who wore at least three different numbers during their time with the Orioles.

Player	Numbers Worn
Billy O'Dell	18, 24, 38, 41
Bob Saverine	1, 2, 33
Manny Alexander	1, 6, 48
Tony Tarasco	1, 3, 43
Clint Courtney	2, 10, 11
Brooks Robinson	5, 21, 34
Bob Hale	6, 10, 20
Jerry Adair	6, 7, 8
Larry Harlow	6, 34, 51
Wayne Krenchicki	6, 12, 45
Mark Parent	6, 24, 27
Geronimo Gil	9, 17, 60
Terry Crowley	10, 11, 37 (Also wore 48 as a coach - see below)
Ed Rogers	11, 16, 67
Matt Riley	12, 25, 35
Jim Busby	16, 23, 33
Boog Powell	16, 26, 30
Fred Valentine	16, 20, 27
Tim Raines, Jr.	16, 38, 63
Chris Hoiles	17, 23, 28
Frank Bertaina	18, 23, 40
Pete Incaviglia	26, 29, 55
Ryan Kohlmeier	30, 50, 59
Don Ferrarese	39, 46, 51
Jim Johnson	43, 47, 59

The following list features players who have worn three or more different numbers during separate stints as Orioles players and coaches.

Player	Numbers Worn
Terry Crowley	10, 11, 37 (player); 48 (coach)
Ken Rowe	17, 35 (player); 31, 42 (coach)
Don Buford	9 (player); 2, 13 (coach)
Johnny Oates	12 (player); 26 (coach/manager); 46 (coach)
Curt Motton	21, 43 (player); 47 (coach)

Most and Least Popular Numbers

"Popular" might be a misnomer; if a number has been issued with high frequency, there's a good chance that most of the occupants of that number weren't very memorable or at least didn't stick around for too long. Nick Markakis has already had the most success in #21, for instance; he's only been with the team for two years! Meanwhile, numbers in the high thirties are usually among the lowest numbers available in the middle of a season and are often given to players called up from the minors, or attached to fringe guys in the bullpen. Below is a listing of the uniform numbers that have been issued to the most 1983 World Series

players in Orioles history. 1971 World Series

Number	How many players have worn it?
21	29
37	29
39	29
16	26
23	26
28	26
30	27
38	26
27	25
36	25
40	26
11	24
17	25
35	25
6	23
14	23
18	23
25	23

Meanwhile, the numbers that have been issued the least are all oddball high numbers (54, 67, 72, etc.). Throwing those out, as well as numbers that are retired, we get the following least issued numbers between 1 and 49.

Number	How many players have worn it?	Notes
7	6	Taken out of circulation in 1999 for Cal Ripken, Sr. after his death
31	9	Worn for 43 total years by Orioles coaches
48	9	Worn for 20 total years by Orioles coaches
44	11	Worn for 28 consecutive years by Elrod Hendricks; taken out of circulation in 2006 after his death
46	11	Worn for 17 total seasons by Mike Flanagan
49	13	Not issued from team's inception in 1954 until August of 1965 (Mark Belanger first to wear 49)
19	15	Worn for 13 consecutive seasons by Dave McNally (1962-1974); not issued again until 1985 (Fred Lynn)
45	15	Between 1954 and 1973, only issued to one player (also issued to one coach and one manager in that time)
13	15	Not issued between 1977 and 1985
26	16	Worn for 18 total years by Orioles coaches and 12 consecutive years by Boog Powell
47	16	Issued twice between 1954 and 1975; worn for ten consecutive years by Cal Ripken, Sr. (1976-1985)

Who Wore It First? Who Wore It Longest?

As you know by now, several Orioles players have laid claim to various uniform numbers. But only one player can be the first to wear a number, and only one player can wear it for the longest. The table below indicates which player was the first to wear each number in Baltimore, and which player is the Dean of that number.

Number	First Player	Year First Worn	Longest Tenured Player	Total Years Worn (Date Range)
1	Chico Garcia	1954	Al Bumbry	13 (1972-1984)
2	Neil (Connie) Berry	1954	Bob Johnson	4+ (1963-May 10, 1967)
3	Eddie Waitkus	1954	Billy Ripken	6+ (1987-Apr 1988; 1989-1992; 1996)
4	Vern Stephens	1954	Jim Gentile	4 (1960-1963)
5	Bobby Young	1954	Brooks Robinson	21 (1957-1977)
6	Billy Hunter	1954	Paul Blair	12 (1965-1976)
7	Frank Kellert	1954	Mark Belanger	15+ (Sept 1966-1981)
8	Dick Kryhoski	1954	Cal Ripken, Jr.	20+ (Aug 1981-2001)
9	Ray Murray	1954	Brady Anderson	13 (1989-2001)
10	Les Moss	1954	Elrod Hendricks	8+ (1968-Aug 18, 1972; 1973-June 15, 1976)
11	Clint Courtney	1954	Gus Triandos	8 (1955-1962)
12	Joe Durham	1954	Mike Devereaux	6 (1989-1994) Note: Lenn Sakata also played 6 years (1980-1985), but did not join the team until May 1980.
13	Bill Miller	1955	Steve Barber	6.5 (1961-July 4, 1967)
14	Don Lenhardt	1954	Lee May	6 (1975-1980) Note: Merv Rettenmund also played 6 years (1968-1973), but Lee May also wore 14 as hitting coach in 1995.
15	Sam Mele	1954	Davey Johnson	8 (1965-1972)
16	Gil Coan	1954	Scott McGregor	10+ (1978-May 2, 1988)
17	Jim Fridley	1954	B. J. Surhoff	7.5 (1996-July 31, 2000; 2003-2005)
18	Dick Littlefield	1954	Jeff Conine	5 (1999-Aug 31, 2003)
19	Dick Kokos	1954	Dave McNally	12+ (Sept 1962-1974)
20	Vic Wertz	1954	Frank Robinson	6 (1966-1971)
21	Jim Fridley	1954	Curt Motton	6 (1967-1971; 1974)
22	Dave Koslo	1954	Jim Palmer	18+ (1965-1967; 1968-May 23, 1984)
23	Lou Kretlow	1954	Tippy Martinez	10.5 (June 15, 1976-1986)
24	Vern Bickford	1954	Rick Dempsey	10.5+ (June 15, 1976-1986; June-July 1992; Sept 1992)
25	Jim McDonald	1955	Rich Dauer	8 (1978-1985)
26	Marlin Stuart	1954	Boog Powell	12 (1963-1974)
27	Don Larsen	1954	Benny Ayala	6 (1979-1984)
28	Duane Pillette	1954	Hal Brown	7.5 (July 14, 1955-Sept 7, 1962)
29	Ray Moore	1955	Ken Singleton	10 (1975-1984)
30	Bob Mabe	1960	Dennis Martinez	9.5 (1977-June 16, 1986)
31	Brad Havens	1985	Jay Gibbons	4 (2004-2007)
32	Chuck Diering	1954	Milt Pappas	9 (1957-1965)
33	Bob Turley	1954	Eddie Murray	12.5 (1977-1988; July 21-Oct 1996)
34	Mike Blyzka	1954	Storm Davis	6 (1982-1986; 1992)
35	Joe Coleman	1954	Mike Mussina	9 (1992-2000)
36	Jim Wilson	1955	Tim Hulett	6 (1989-1994)
37	Howie Fox	1954	John Shelby	6+ (1981-May 22, 1987)
38	Jay Heard	1954	John Lowenstein	7 (1979-1985)
39	Don Ferrarese	1956	Eddie Watt	8 (1966-1973)
40	Bob Kennedy	1954	Dave Leonhard	5 (1968-1972)
41	Babe Birrer	1956	Don Aase	4 (1985-1988)
42	Gordie Sundin	1956	Lenny Webster	2.5 (1997-July 21, 1999)
43	Chuck Locke	1955	Sidney Ponson	7.5 (1998-July 31, 2003; 2004-Sept 1, 2005)
44	Tito Francona	1956	Jim Hardin	5 (June 1967-May 28, 1971)
45	Bill Dillman	1967	Jim Poole	4.5 (July 30, 1991-1994)
46	Don Ferrarese	1955	Mike Flanagan	14 (Sept 1975-Aug 31, 1987; 1991-1992)
47	Bob Harrison	1955	Jesse Orosco	5 (1995-1999)
48	Jack Fisher	1959	Jose Bautista	3+ (1988-Apr 1991; Aug 1991)
49	Mark Belanger	1965	Tim Stoddard	6 (1978-1983)
50	Fred Beene	1964	Jorge Julio	5 (2001-2005)
51	Don Ferrarese	1957	Jamie Moyer	3 (1993-1995)
52	Bob Bailor	1975	B. J. Ryan	6.5 (Aug 1999-2005)
53	Dave Pagan	1976	Arthur Rhodes	8+ (Aug 1991-1999)
54	John Habyan	1985	John Habyan	3 (1985-1987)
55	Nelson Briles	1977	Ramon Hernandez	2 (2006-present)
56	Mike Oquist	1993	Brian Burres	1+ (Sept 7, 2006-present)
57	Jeff Schneider	1981	Juan Guzman	1 (July 31, 1998-July 31, 1999)
58	Francisco De La Rosa	1991	Hector Carrasco	0.5 (June 29-Sept 27, 2003)
59	Dave Ford	1978	Eric DuBose	2 (2002-2003)
60	Jimmy Haynes	1995	Geronimo Gil	one month (Sept-Oct 2001)
61	Dennis Martinez	1976	Dave Borkowski	0.5 (July 5-Oct 3, 2004)
63	Nerio Rodriguez	1996	Val Majewski	one month (Aug 19-Sept 2004)
64	Bruce Chen	2004	Bruce Chen	one-plus months (Aug 25-Oct 3, 2004)
67	Ed Rogers	2005	Ed Rogers	one month (Sept 1-Oct 2, 2005)
72	Robert Machado	2003	Robert Machado	1.5 (July-Sept 2003; May-Sept 2004)
75	Alan Mills	1992	Alan Mills	8.5 (1992-1998; July 13, 2000-2001)
77	Joe Borowski	1995	Joe Borowski	0.5 (July 1995; Aug-Sept 1995)
88	Rene Gonzales	1987	Rene Gonzales	4 (1987-1990)

Number	How many players have worn it?
21	29
37	29
39	29
16	26
23	26
28	26
30	27
38	26
27	25
36	25
40	26
11	24
17	25
35	25
6	23
14	23
18	23
25	23

Number	How many players have worn it?
21	29
37	29
39	29
16	26
23	26
28	26
30	27
38	26
27	25
36	25
40	26
11	24
17	25
35	25
6	23
14	23
18	23
25	23

Number	How many players have worn it?
21	29
37	29
39	29
16	26
23	26
28	26
30	27
38	26
27	25
36	25
40	26
11	24
17	25
35	25
6	23
14	23
18	23
25	23