Poking around the internet as one does during these holiday weeks of light workloads, I came across an . We all know Mariano as the last player to wear 42, after it was retired in 1997 for Jackie Robinson. But that almost never happened because Reggie Jackson was going to wear 42 to honor Robinson, and even went as far as to have a 42 jersey presented at his 1976 introductory press conference.
Jackson had to look for a new number because his traditional 9 was worn by Craig Nettles, but luckily 42 was being held by Billy Martin for incoming pitching coach Art Fowler.