1929 – At Wrigley Field before 45,000, the Cubs top the Cardinals, 4 – 0, with Guy Bush winning over Willie Mitchell. Rogers Hornsby is 4 for 4 with two doubles, but he will go 1 for 13 in his next three games.

1929 – At Wrigley Field before 45,000, the Cubs top the Cardinals, 4 – 0, with Guy Bush winning over Willie Mitchell. Rogers Hornsby is 4 for 4 with two doubles, but he will go 1 for 13 in his next three games.

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1929 – At Wrigley Field before 45,000, the Cubs top the Cardinals, 4 – 0, with Guy Bush winning over Willie Mitchell. Rogers Hornsby is 4 for 4 with two doubles, but he will go 1 for 13 in his next three games.

The Yankees will become the second team to wear numbers on uniforms when rain postpones their Opening Day game, giving the Indians the distinction of being the first to don the digits. New York’s numbers are assigned based on the order in the lineup, thus Earle Combs wore #1, Mark Koenig #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Bob Meusel #5, Tony Lazzeri #6, Leo Durocher #7, Johnny Grabowski #8, Benny Bengough #9, and Bill Dickey #10 (#’s 8-10 are all catchers).

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The Yankees will become the second team to wear numbers on uniforms when rain postpones their Opening Day game, giving the Indians the distinction of being the first to don the digits. New York’s numbers are assigned based on the order in the lineup, thus Earle Combs wore #1, Mark Koenig #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Bob Meusel #5, Tony Lazzeri #6, Leo Durocher #7, Johnny Grabowski #8, Benny Bengough #9, and Bill Dickey #10 (#’s 8-10 are all catchers).

Yankees become first team to have numbers on back

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On April 16, 1929, the New York Yankees become the first team to permanently feature numbers on the backs of their uniforms. The numbers correspond to each player’s position in the batting order. The numbers also allow fans and broadcasters to more easily identify the players. Future Hall of Famers Earle Combs, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig wear #1, #3 and #4, respectively.

Earl Averill of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first American League player to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat 
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Earl Averill of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first American League player to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat 

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Earl Averill of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first American League player to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat when he blasts an 0-and-2 pitch by Detroit Tigers pitcher Earl Whitehill in the Indians’ 5 – 4, 11-inning victory.

Ryne Duren 1960

Ryne Duren Stats & Facts

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Ryne Duren Position: Pitcher Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right 6-2, 190lb (188cm, 86kg) Born: February 22, 1929 in Cazenovia, WI Died: January 6, 2011  in Lake Wales, FL Buried: St. Anthony Cemetery, Germantown, WI High School: Cazenovia HS (Cazenovia, WI) Debut: September 25, 1954 (11,192nd in major league history) vs. CHW 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 SO, 1 BB, 2 ER Last Game: August 18, 1965 vs. CHW 0.0 IP, 1 H, 0 SO, 1 BB, 2…

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Jim Bottomley is voted National League Most Valuable Player 

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1928 – St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Jim Bottomley, who hit .325 with 31 home runs and 126 RBI, is voted National League Most Valuable Player with 76 points against 70 for runner-up Fred Lindstrom, whose .358 batting average was third in the NL behind Rogers Hornsby (.387) and Paul Waner (.370).

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1928 – The St. Louis Cardinals sign Billy Southworth as their new manager, replacing Bill McKechnie who goes down to Triple-A Rochester.

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1928 – The St. Louis Cardinals sign Billy Southworth as their new manager, replacing Bill McKechnie who goes down to Triple-A Rochester.

1928 – In one of their most important acquisitions ever, Cleveland Indians general manager Billy Evans sends $40,000 and two players to the San Francisco Seals (Pacific Coast League) for outfielder Earl Averill. A future Hall of Famer, Averill will play 11 years in Cleveland.

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1928 – In one of their most important acquisitions ever, Cleveland Indians general manager Billy Evans sends $40,000 and two players to the San Francisco Seals (Pacific Coast League) for outfielder Earl Averill. A future Hall of Famer, Averill will play 11 years in Cleveland.