Cardinals pitcher reunites with storied boyhood uniform number

One of the great aspects of baseball is that each player in a game is given a chance in the spotlight, whether that's someone stepping into the batter's box or toeing the rubber. In this way, baseball depends on individuals more than any other sport. Therefore, one would think that players are given plenty of opportunities to express the unique aspects of themselves. But while baseball has held events like Players' Weekend in an attempt to showcase people's personalities, it hasn't been able to take the next step to allow fans to become truly familiar with their team's players and those around the league.

What players can utilize to showcase something meaningful to them, however, are uniform numbers. Athletes across the world have stories behind the digits they don, and many of those on the St. Louis Cardinals are no exception. On Jan. 16, the Cardinals announced two uniform number changes on the team, with Riley O'Brien switching from number 55 to 61 and Matthew Liberatore changing from 52 to 32.

Liberatore's number swap has deep roots in baseball.

Liberatore, a left-handed pitcher who is expected to claim a spot near the top of the Cardinals rotation in 2026, has had an affinity for the number 32 since wearing it during his days in youth sports and was finally able to claim his cherished number with the Cardinals after the departure of its previous holder on the roster, Steven Matz. But even if 32 was at one point just a number that a coach shoved onto Liberatore when he was a kid, it's now number that signifies his love of baseball and its rich backstory.

In an article from STLToday during spring training in 2025, Liberatore spoke to Derrick Goold and mentioned his admiration of Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax, who also wore number 32. The fact that Koufax's career ended 33 years before Liberatore was born never dissuaded the Cardinals pitcher, who considers himself a "student of the game" and a fan of stories and players from baseball's bygone years.

Liberatore shared an anecdote in Goold's article where a fan had heard about his fondness for the number 32 and provided Liberatore with a Koufax-signed copy of the pitching legend's autobiography. The Cardinals might not expect results on the level of Koufax from Liberatore in 2026 and beyond, but they will look for him to serve as a key piece in their rotation moving forward. 

Baseball desperately needs meaningful stories like Liberatore's to come to light so fans can feel more connected to the players they love. In an era where some Cardinals fans could struggle to name more than a dozen players on their team's roster, breeding this familiarity could become more essential than ever.