Roger Maris also wore No. 9 for the final nine years of his career, most famously in 1961, when he set a record with 61 home runs for the New York Yankees. Another difficult figure to ponder. Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves is chosen over Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson. The Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa and Jim Thome both hit 70 homers during their careers. But it's Maris who gets the call.
In addition to his role as a player, Maris served as the Yankees' manager for two seasons after he retired. He managed 81 games in 1960, finishing second behind Joe Manganiello of the Cleveland Indians, before returning for another season in 1961, when he finished at.500.
Maris' record-setting year came at a time when baseball fans were hungry for home run power after Ted Williams, another American League star, died in an automobile crash in August 1960. What's more, Maris had the chance to play in his first All-Star Game if the AL had beaten out its NL rival in the midseason exhibition game. But the AL lost 1-0 at Milwaukee and Maris was replaced by Ralph Houk of the Yankees.
Even so, Maris still managed to hit 69 homers, which stood as a major league record until 1967, when Roger Marlon of the Los Angeles Dodgers broke it with 72 bombs.
Reggie Jackson wore No. 9 for the Oakland A's and Baltimore Orioles for nine of his 21 seasons. The last player to wear No. 9 for both teams was Brooks Robinson. He did so from 1966-1971 for the Baltimore Orioles.
Jackson is one of only four players who have had their numbers retired by more than one team (the others being Joe DiMaggio, Mel Ott, and Willie Mays). His accomplishments are worthy of retirement. He was a five-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner at third base, and two-time champion of baseball's best-known city. In 1971, he finished his career with a.292 average, 2149 hits, and a record 656 home runs.
He spent the first eight seasons of his career with the A's, but when they could not come to an agreement on a contract extension, he was traded to the Orioles after the 1975 season. Both Jackson and Robinson were members of the legendary A's-Orioles duo that dominated the mid-to-late 1970's. They were both strong defenders at their positions, and combined to lead the Orioles to six American League pennants in ten years from 1978 to 1985.
While these are the most well-known players to wear No. 9, Joe Adcock, who hit 239 home runs with the Braves from 1953 through 1962, may have been the most prolific. Jones became the final Brave to wear No. 10 throughout his Hall of Fame career. The number was retired throughout all of baseball in honor of John McGraw, the father of modern-day baseball.
Adcock is the only player in MLB history to hit over 200 homers while batting under.300. His career batting average was just.272. During that time, he also led the league in hits twice (1953, '57) and doubles four times (1953, '54, '55, '62).
He was also one of three players to win the MVP award while playing for another team (the others being Lou Gehrig and Mel Ott). The other two players were Ty Cobb (American League) in 1919 and Rogers Hornsby (National League) in 1924.
Adcock died in Mexico City at the age of 57 after suffering heart failure caused by a viral infection. He left behind a wife and seven children.
Reggie Jackson wore No. 9 for the Oakland A's and Baltimore Orioles for nine of his 21 seasons. Roger Maris also wore No. 9 for the final nine years of his career, most famously in 1961, when he set a record with 61 home runs for the New York Yankees. Another difficult figure to ponder.
Alomar was elected into baseball's Hall of Fame in 2011, and his No. 12 uniform was retired by the Toronto Blue Jays the same year, making his number the only one retired by the Jays other than Jackie Robinson's.
When he takes the mound in the Bronx for the first time, he will become the first Yankee ever to wear that number, as well as the only single-digit number in team history that has not yet been retired.
Roger Maris, the Yankees' all-time leader in home runs in a single season, died after a battle with lymphoid cancer. The Yankees sent Neil Allen, Scott Bradley, Glen Braxton (minors), and cash to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Ron Hassey, Matt Winters, Chris Alvarez (minors), and Eric Schmidt (minors). Hassey would go on to win the AL MVP award that year.
Maris hit 61 homers during the 1961 season, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60. The Yankees went into their August 1 game against the Minnesota Twins expecting to beat the American League-leading Indians. But Maris hit only one ball out of Indian Stadium that day, ending his record-breaking bid and leaving him with 59 homers.
The following night, however, Maris hit his 60th homer, a 565-foot shot that landed in the upper deck in right field at Yankee Stadium. It is considered one of the greatest shots in baseball history. After the game, Maris told reporters, "I'd like to say I'm happy about hitting number 60 but I'm not. My family needs me to get back home and play some more." Despite his disappointment at failing to reach 70 homers, the Yankees honored Maris by sending out a special uniform that included "60" on the front of the jersey. The team also gave away tickets to see them play Cleveland next week if he reached this mark before then.
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