Gerrit Cole has worn only one uniform number as a major-leaguer. The Yankees have retired far more numbers than any other Major League Baseball team.
Both of those statements somehow remain true after Cole’s lucrative marriage to the Yankees, and all it required was some cooperation by Luke Voit.
Voit, the first baseman who wore number 45 from his Yankees arrival in August 2018 through last season, announced Wednesday on Twitter that he would switch to number 59 in order to accommodate Cole, who wore a 45 jersey at his Yankee Stadium introductory news conference.