Why New Red Sox Pitcher Walker Buehler Chose Unusual Jersey Number

Walker Buehler will pitch in something besides a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform next season for the first time in his MLB career.

And Buehler’s new threads with the Boston Red Sox will also come with a new jersey number.

Buehler donned No. 21 for the majority of his career with the Dodgers, but with that number unavailable with the Red Sox — it hasn’t been worn since Roger Clemens nearly three decades ago — the veteran starting pitcher pivoted and made the unconventional decision to have No. 0 on his back in a Boston uniform.

“Yeah, 21 was taken, or somewhat taken or however you guys classify it,” Buehler said during a Zoom call with reporters Friday. “I had a few options there at the end. I don’t know, it felt kind of fitting. We battled a lot on double zero or single zero. But I think the smaller number looks a little skinner out there, so I went with the single zero.”

Buehler will be just the third player in Red Sox history to sport the digit. Brandon Phillips donned the number first during his nine-game stay with the Red Sox in 2018 and Adam Ottavino also wore it for a lone season in 2021.

The number might just be with Buehler for one season as well since he signed a one-year, $21.05 million deal with the Red Sox last week. The 30-year-old right-hander, who missed the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery, is looking for a bounce-back campaign after posting a 1-6 record with a 5.38 ERA. Buehler returned to his two-time All-Star form in the playoffs, though. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title by tossing 10 scoreless innings over his final three postseason appearances.

And if he can maintain that type of success with the Red Sox, the No. 0 could become a permanent addition for Buehler.

“I think anytime you make a move from playing somewhere for seven years and go somewhere else, I think there’s obviously something behind that and something that hopefully I bring some value this year and get to play the rest of my career in Boston,” Buehler said. “But it all kind of starts with me throwing the ball well.”