Uniform numbers can carry significant meaning in the world of baseball, and for the New York Yankees and potential recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto, number 18 holds a special place.
League sources have revealed that the Yankees have intentionally kept the number 18 reserved for Yamamoto over the past year. This number not only corresponds to Yamamoto’s jersey with the Orix Buffaloes but also holds a prestigious status as the “ace” number in Japanese baseball.
It’s worth noting that notable players like Hiroki Kuroda, a former Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) ace, donned the number 18 jersey while playing for the Yankees. Similarly, Masahiro Tanaka, who was an ace for the NPB’s Rakuten Golden Eagles before joining the Yankees, wore number 18 out of respect for Kuroda when he moved to New York.
The Yankees’ deliberate decision to withhold the number 18 jersey last season was significant as they closely monitored Yamamoto’s performances in Japan. During 2022, the number 18 was worn by Andrew Benintendi in New York.
Yamamoto is now set to meet with MLB teams in person after the winter meetings, as reported by SNY. Interestingly, three other teams interested in him—the Dodgers, Giants, and Red Sox—have the number 18 available. However, they did not reserve it as the Yankees did last year. Players like Darin Ruf and Paul DeJong for the Giants, Shelby Miller for the Dodgers, and Adam Duvall for the Red Sox wore the number 18 jersey during the 2022 season.
Meanwhile, for the New York Mets, Nick Plummer was the last to wear the number 18 jersey in 2022. However, the team has decided to retire this number in the upcoming year in honor of the legendary Darryl Strawberry.