Joe Biden’s inauguration means it’s time to deep-six all things 45 & celebrate the G.O.A.T. 46ers

Andy Pettitte wore 46 from 1995-2003, and again when he returned to New York from 2007-13, following a stint in Houston in which he wore No. 21 for the Astros. The Yankees retired 46 for Pettitte in 2015 (and trivia heads will remember that Don Mattingly wore it as a rookie), but of course they’ve also retired No. 1 for Billy Martin, so who knows what kind of jersey they’d present Biden with, if and when they win their first World Series since 2009?

There’s never been a No. 46 retired in the NHL, but the best chance for one among active players is David Krejci, the leading scorer in the 2011 playoffs as Boston won the Stanley Cup. This season, Krejci should become the seventh player in Bruins history to record 500 assists, and if he remains in Boston next season, he’ll be the seventh man to play 1,000 games for the storied franchise.

You’ve probably never seen a No. 46 Browns jersey. That’s because the number is retired for Don Fleming, who was working an offseason job for a construction company in Winter Park, Florida, in 1963, and died in an accident when the boom of the crane he was operating touched a high-tension electrical wire and he was electrocuted.

Santiago Casilla was a key part of the bullpen for all three of the Giants’ championship runs in the 2010s, all wearing No. 46. He might best be remembered, though, for one of the weirdest plate appearances in baseball history, a four-pitch walk in which Casilla never had any interest in participating.

Doug Plank is the best-known player to wear No. 46 in Bears history, but the number is associated with Chicago because it was the name of the defense that Buddy Ryan employed with such great success on the way to winning Super Bowl XX — a 46-10 victory over the Patriots. Plank was three years removed from playing for the Bears by that point, but he was well remembered as part of that 46 Defense coming together, and for wearing the number that became synonymous with that era of Bears football.

According to basketball-reference.com, only seven players in NBA and ABA history have even worn No. 46, and none for more than four seasons — that record held by the currently active Aron Baynes of the Raptors. How rare is 46 in the NBA? It’s commonly used as the example number for jersey designs. The Bulls... the Knicks... everyone in the NBA looks great with 46!