In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees. By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues. Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.
Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #35. 82 players have donned #34 on each side of town, including 50 for the White Sox and 32 for the Cubs.
Kerry Wood was the fourth overall selection in the first round of the 1995 draft, making his major league debut for the Cubs less than 3 years later. Making his fifth major league start in May of 1998, Wood would cement his place in Cubs lore and baseball history, striking out 20 and giving up a single hit against the Astros. Wood helped the Cubs to the Wild Card, their first post-season appearance since 1989. An injured elbow, however, cost him the 1999 season and, just maybe, altered the course of his career. He led the Cubs rotation as they made a surprising run towards the World Series in 2003, coming up a mere 5 outs short. By 2007, he was moved to the bullpen full time, After quick detours with the Indians and the Yankees, he returned to the Cubs in 2011 and retired in May of 2012, striking out Dayan Viciedo in his final appearance in a crosstown tilt.
On the south side of town, young phenom Michael Kopech may end up owning the number across both teams. But for now, we will split the difference between three pitchers, each of whom helped lead the White Sox to a playoff appearance. Richard Dotson switched to #34 in 1983, just in time to go 22-7 as the White Sox won their first division title. Acquired in 2004, Freddy Garcia donned the number while winning the clinching game 4 of the 2005 World Series. His replacement in the rotation, beginning in 2007, was Gavin Floyd, who also wore the number as the White Sox won their latest division title in 2008.