Yankee Billy Martin, hero of a Series wind-blown catch in 1952,
Series hitting star and MVP the year that followed, was a slight man
Who wore Number 1; The pinstripe Yankee uniform of Aaron Judge,
A towering power hitter still waiting to perform World Series heroics,
Displays Number 99. Between the two are the numbers which, alone,
Carry Yankee history. Think of 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 for example and you cannot escape
Careers of historic proportions. If you are a Bronx Bomber aficionado,
That will also be true of 16 and 37 and a host of others. Numbers are
Omnipresent in the sport: batting average, hitting and fielding
Percentages, digits written on outfield fences to notify how far a
Batted ball must travel to reach them; every field in the Majors has
A scoreboard. Measured distances between the bases and from the
Pitcher’s mound to home plate are regulated (90 feet; 60 feet, six inches).
Even the TV and radio stations that broadcast the games have numerical
Designations, but of all the numbers that play their roles in the Major Leagues,
None can be more personal than the one assigned to a player’s uniform. Some
Are lucky numbers; others are related to special dates or significant events in
The lives of players, coaches, managers. A favorite, one that brings a
Much needed smile to the face, is 96, worn by Bill Voiselle of the Giants,
Braves and Cubs, a pitcher who was raised in a small South Carolina
Town . . . named Ninety Six! Look it up; that town’s other claim to fame
Was that the first land battle south of New England was fought there in
1775, a vital setting for our Revolutionary War.
Numbers are like people:
There’s more to them than simply what you see.
THE POETRY OF THE GAME