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Athletics Opening Day countdown: Don Baylor is best No. 00 in A’s history

On Athletics Opening Day, Don Baylor gets No. 00 by default, and the career resume backs it up. He is the only player to wear 00 for the franchise.

Dice City Sports graphic: Athletics Opening Day countdown graphic featuring Don Baylor as the best No. 00 in Athletics history.
Dice City Sports graphic: Athletics Opening Day countdown graphic featuring Don Baylor as the best No. 00 in Athletics history. Image by Dice City Sports

Athletics Opening Day is today at the Toronto Blue Jays. With Las Vegas on the horizon, this daily countdown tracks the best A’s players by jersey number.

Today, March 27, 2026, the number is 00.

Don Baylor, No. 00

Don Baylor is the best Athletics figure to wear No. 00 because he is the only one. He wore it for one season in Oakland, and that makes him the automatic answer on Opening Day.

Baylor also brings real career weight to a novelty number. He finished with 28.5 career WAR, 2,135 hits, 338 home runs, and 1,276 RBIs.

Why Baylor gets No. 00

Baylor gets No. 00 because the number is his alone in Athletics history. In 1988, his third stint in the organization included that unique jersey, and no other player has matched it.

Even in that late-career role, Baylor still contributed as a DH. In 1988 with Oakland, he hit .220 with a .332 OBP, plus 7 home runs and 34 RBIs.

The bigger context is why Baylor is worth an Opening Day nod in this format. He was an MVP in 1979, and he built a 19-year career with power, toughness, and production.

Career start and background

Baylor was born June 28, 1949, in Austin, Texas. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the second round in 1967 out of Stephen F. Austin High School.

He debuted in 1970, then reached Oakland in 1976 as part of a trade that also involved Reggie Jackson. Baylor later returned to the Athletics in 1988, which is when he wore No. 00.

Other notable No. 00s

Baylor is the only player to wear 0 or 00 in franchise history

Career check

On a day built for clean answers, No. 00 is as clean as it gets. Baylor wore it once, and he is the only Athletics player who ever did.

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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.

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