Just by taking the mound, Minnesota Twins rookie Ryan Eades made history on Saturday.
Over the course of major league history, virtually every number has been worn by a player. Of course, with the Yankees retiring numbers for virtually any reason as of late, the amount of numbers never to be worn in the majors is decreasing.
On Saturday, Minnesota Twins rookie Ryan Eades managed to make history just by taking the mound. In doing so, he became the first player in the majors to wear jersey number 80.
History was made last night in Detroit, as Twins P Ryan Eades became the first MLB player ever to wear No. 80. (h/t @NumbersMLB) pic.twitter.com/3m9Ei4Ywsy
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) June 9, 2019
With Eades wearing number 80, only three numbers remain that have never been worn in a MLB game. This leaves numbers 86, 89, and 92 as the only numbers left to have never made an appearance during the regular season in a major league contest.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Eades had a relatively up and down debut. He threw two scoreless innings in the Twins in their 9-3 loss to the Tigers, but allowed two hits and two walks. On the positive side, Eades also struck out three batters, and did his part to keep Minnesota within striking distance before a four run eighth put the game away.
A former second round pick in 2013, Eades had not exactly lit the minors on fire this season. He had posted a 5.68 ERA and a 1.453 WHiP in his 31.2 innings this season. However, he had demonstrated an ability to rack up strikeouts, striking out 39 batters thus far in AAA.
With the Twins bullpen, and pitching staff as a whole, suddenly in need of production, there is an opportunity for Eades to stick in the majors. His debut, while it may not have been dominant, did result in two scoreless innings. That certainly should be enough to warrant another look in the coming days.
Ryan Eades made history when he debuted with the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, becoming the first player to wear number 80. If he keeps pitching well, other players may look to that number as well.