Uniformly By The Numbers

Who was the first person to wear number eight for the White Sox. I'll give you a hint... it's not Bo Jackson.

The correct answer would be a player named Bennie Tate, way back in 1931, when the White Sox first started putting numbers on their uniforms.

How do I know these things? Well, I did the research. The fruits of my labor are here for you to enjoy. A complete rundown of who wore what uniform number for the White Sox and what year.

Marvel in the glory of having access to Chico Escarrega's uniform number from 1982. Or perhaps you were wondering who wore number fifteen before Frank Thomas' debut. It's true. Big Frank didn't always wear number thirty-five. And sorry to disappoint, but nineteen players wore Ted Lyon's retired number sixteen after he did. How could you live before you knew that number sixty-six debuted in 1935?! I sure don't know how I survived before that tidbit!

To seal the deal, I've included actual pictures of White Sox players wearing each number. The only one I couldn't find in a White Sox uniform was Rich Sauveur. Since he is the only one at his number, you'll have to settle for an empty uniform with his name and jersey number.

Why did I do this? Because I've always wanted to. What good is this information to you? That's anybody's guess. Maybe someone will win a bar bet or something. Hopefully, the information will give you a better opportunity to familiarize yourself with the players. I think it'll be a cool way to get closer to the game. I know I'll never think of Italo Chelini in quite the same way after discovering his uniform numbers.