Homer Bailey had one idea for the number he wanted to wear on the back of his baseball jersey. Rick Stowe had a different idea.
Stowe won out.
“Texas boy. Nolan Ryan. That’s why I gave it to him,” said Stowe, the Reds clubhouse manager, late Tuesday night in explaining how Bailey came about to wear the No. 34.
Ryan, the Texas and baseball icon, owns the Major League record with seven no-hitters. Bailey joined an exclusive club Tuesday night when he threw his second no-hitter in a 3-0 win against San Francisco at Great American Ball Park. The La Grange, Texas native threw his first no-hitter last September at Pittsburgh.
According to Stowe, Bailey originally wanted to wear the No. 21 Roger Clemens – another Texas pitching legend – made famous during his years with the Boston Red Sox. Stowe decided Ryan’s 34 was a better fit.
AUTHENTICATED: The list of game-worn and used items to be authenticated by MLB after the no-hitter was rather extensive. Indelible ink is used to mark the items, a permanent but invisible ink that needs a laser to be seen.
Bailey used the same glove Tuesday as he did in his first no-hitter. Ryan Hanigan has caught both no-hitters but it is believed that he used different gloves for the two games. Hanigan said he didn’t keep any mementos from the first no-hitter but he was sure to not make that same mistake the second time around.
“I think I kind of wish I had some stuff but I was just more excited to get the no-hitter,” said Hanigan.
The list of items authenticated includes:
(From Bailey) jersey, pants, both pairs of his socks, shorts, belt, undershirt, hat, glove, cleats, two empty cans of Red Bull drank during game.
(From Hanigan) catcher’s leggings, glove, batting glove, finger protector, chest protector, and catcher’s helmet.
(Game items) 16 baseballs, home plate, pitching rubber, every game prepared ball, a bucket of dirt from the pitching mound, the lineup card plus a duplicate lineup card that assistant Chris Speier made up, Dusty Baker’s batting lineup cards, San Francisco’s dugout lineup card, and any game-used bat that was broken during the game, 20 game tickets, batting helmets.
One last item from Bailey that Reds Authentics Manager Jon Cline didn’t want to forget: “Oh, and his sweat towel.”
