Number Five
Joe DiMaggio, #5 (number retired on April 18, 1952)
You might be able to win a bar bet with the question: “What was Joe DiMaggio’s number in his rookie year?” The answer is nine. Of course, DiMaggio is well known for the number five, which he switched to after his first season. While DiMaggio wore number nine during his rookie year, his teammate Frankie Crosetti wore number five and had an All-Star season. The next year, Crosetti gave number five to DiMaggio and switched to number one. He would later wear number two, which makes him one of only two Yankees to ever wear three single-digit numbers (along with Tony Lazzeri).
When DiMaggio missed three seasons in the middle of his career for military service, his number five was given to the immortal Nick Etten. Etten was 29 years old in 1943 and took full advantage of the lower caliber of pitching during the war years. He led the league in home runs and walks in 1944 and in RBI in 1945. He got AL MVP votes all three years. Etten was a bat-first player who finished with negative value on defense in his career. Pitcher Joe Trimble remembered Etten in the 1982 book Baseball’s Greatest Quotes with the line, “Nick Etten’s glove fields better with Nick Etten out of it.”
DiMaggio rejoined the Yankees in 1946 and got his number five back. He retired after the 1951 season and his number was retired the following April. At the retirement ceremony, DiMaggio donated one of his jerseys from the previous season to Rowan Spraker, the Vice President of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Years after the jersey was donated, researchers made an interesting discovery. DiMaggio had appeared in the 1951 movie “Angels in the Outfield” wearing one of his own jerseys. The jersey he donated to the Hall of Fame at his retirement ceremony was compared to the jersey he wore in the film and determined to be the same jersey. Along with DiMaggio, Ty Cobb and Bing Crosby appeared in the film.
DiMaggio is considered by many to be the greatest MLB player to ever wear number five, but he has some serious competition. Other great number fives include Johnny Bench, Albert Pujols, Hank Greenberg, George Brett, Brooks Robinson, and Jeff Bagwell. A hypothetical team made up of all number fives could do well against any other number, with Joe DiMaggio holding down the centerfield spot.