Book Excerpt: The Greatest New York Yankees By Uniform Number

by Paul Semendinger

June 13, 2026

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36

When one looks at the many players, 56 in all, who wore number 36 for the Yankees, just two names stand out. Both of these players were brought to the Yankees in different eras and both for the purpose of helping the team win a championship. Both players were also stars before becoming Yankees and both became important contributors to Yankees dynasties. One, Johnny Mize, was a back-up first baseman/pinch hitter, the other, David Cone, was a starting pitcher.

Johnny Mize was a Yankee from 1949 to 1953. In each of his five seasons, the Yankees won the World Series. Mize had been a National League All-Star ten times before coming to the Bronx. As a Yankee, Mize played in over 100 games in a season just once. He hit 25 homers in 1950, but clubbed only 19 homers, in total, over his other four seasons with the Yankees. Nevertheless, as a veteran presence and pinch-hitter, Mize was an important cog in the Yankees machine that won continually. In his Yankees career, Mize batted .264 with 44 home runs and 179 runs batted in. His lifetime WAR with the Yankees was 3.8. Johnny Mize is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Before coming to the Yankees, David Cone starred for the Mets, Royals, and Blue Jays. He was the 1994 American League Cy Young Award winner with the Royals. Cone came to the Yankees during the 1995 season and went 9-2 down the stretch, pitching the Yankees into the postseason. Cone was the ace of the pitching staff for the next four years. The Yankees reached the playoffs in all of Cone’s seasons with them winning the World Series four times. Cone won 20 games in 1998 and in 1999 he pitched a perfect game. As a Yankee, David Cone went 64-40, 3.91 earning 20.3 WAR.

The greatest Yankee to wear uniform number 36 was David Cone.