Las Vegas A's

Athletics Opening Day countdown: Gene Tenace “Steamboat” is best No. 18 in A’s history

With 18 days left until Athletics Opening Day, this countdown names Gene Tenace the best A’s player to wear No. 18. “Steamboat” won three titles in Oakland.

by
Mark Hebert
March 9, 2026

File photo: Athletics former first baseman Gene Tenace rides in a car on the field before the game against the New York Mets at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland.

File photo: April 16, 2023, Oakland, California, USA, Athletics former first baseman Gene Tenace rides in a car on the field before the game against the New York Mets at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

18 days remain until Athletics Opening Day at the Toronto Blue Jays on March 27, 2026. With Las Vegas on the horizon, this daily countdown tracks the best A’s players by jersey number.

Today, March 9, 2026, the number is 18.

Gene Tenace “Steamboat”, No. 18

Gene Tenace “Steamboat” is the best Athletics player to wear No. 18 because he combined power and patience on a title core (though he also wore the No. 38 and 18 numbers with the A’s.) He also delivered his biggest moments when the A’s needed them most.

Tenace played for the A’s from 1969-76. In that span, “Steamboat” helped win three straight World Series titles and put up impact bat seasons in Oakland.

10/19/72 Gene Tenace drills a solo shot in Gm 4 of the World Series. #Athletics pic.twitter.com/z0yYT8qPjk

— Historical Baseball Stats (@HistoricalBaseb) May 22, 2024

Why Tenace gets No. 18

Tenace gets No. 18 because the production came with October hardware. He hit 121 home runs and drove in 389 runs with the A’s, and he posted 23.6 WAR in eight seasons with the club.

His peak seasons were loud, too. In 1975, Tenace hit 29 homers with a .395 on-base percentage and a 145 OPS+, earning an All-Star nod.

Career start and background

Tenace was born Oct. 10, 1946, in Russellton, Pa. He attended Valley High School in Lucasville, Ohio.

The Kansas City Athletics drafted him in the 20th round of the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft. He debuted with the A’s on May 29, 1969.

Other notable No. 18s

Jason Kendall, 2005-2007
Tony Phillips, 1982-1986
Chad Pinder, 2016-2020
Ben Zobrist, 2015

Career check

No. 18 has a long list of one- to three-year stops, but Tenace brought championships and impact seasons. For this countdown, “Steamboat” owns the number.

Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.