San Francisco Giants are putting up zeroes, using Nos. 0, 00

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The San Francisco Giants are putting up zeroes.

They believe they might be doing something rarely seen: using uniform numbers 0 and 00 in the same year.

When San Francisco added speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton with a minor league deal earlier this month, equipment manager Brad Grems called the league to make sure there's a difference between the two — because new first base coach Antoan Richardson aleady had claimed 00.

“He's good with stuff like that,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said Monday of Grems' due diligence.

Given the Giants have 11 retired numbers with their long list of Hall of Famers and 13 coaches and a pair of bullpen catchers in uniform under new manager Gabe Kapler, Hamilton's other choices were 96 or 98. San Francisco has 72 players in camp.

Already having made history with the hiring of baseball's first female coach on a big league staff — Alyssa Nakken is wearing No. 92 — longtime equipment manager and current senior adviser Mike Murphy can't remember a time with both “0” numbers and neither can Grems as he begins his 21st season in baseball and sixth with San Francisco.

Grems called MLB “to see if there was a difference between zero and double-zero. The NBA does it."

“That's the fun thing about spring training, you have so many guys come in and it's just kind of exciting to see who's going to step up and who's going to help the team out in the long run,” San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt said. “That's kind of a cool thing we have so many people in here and we're having to look for more numbers because you don't really know exactly what you're going to get from everybody.”

Former Giants left fielder Jeffrey Leonard wore No. 00 in 1987-88, changing from his original 26. At the time, Murphy...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/San-Francisco-Giants-are-putting-up-zeroes-using-15062826.php