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 #32. 96 different players have donned #32 while playing in Chicago, 40 for the White Sox and 56 for the Cubs, including a familiar face for both sides of town.
Steve Stone was acquired by the White Sox in a November 1972 trade with the Giants. He wore #32 for the 1973 season, before being traded to the Cubs. He returned to the White Sox in 1977 as a free agent, going 27-24 over the next two seasons, before once again becoming a free agent. Upon his retirement, he moved in to the broadcast booth, joining the Cubs booth in 1983 alongside Harry Caray. He left the Cubs booth in 2004 and joined the White Sox radio booth in 2008, moving over to television in 2009, where he remains a fan favorite to this day.
On the north side, pitcher Jon Lieber donned #32 over two stints with the Cubs. Acquired via a trade with the Pirates in December of 1998, Lieber quickly became a mainstay of the Cubs rotation, culminating in a 20 win season in 2001. He left as a free agent following the 2002 campaign, returning in 2008, working mostly out of the pen for the eventual division champs in his final major league season.