Detroit Tigers rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy wore two numbers within his first four games of his MLB career. He made his MLB debut in the No. 36 jersey, only to make his first appearance at Comerica Park in No. 44.

Forty-four is a special number to Malloy because his father, Henry Malloy, is named after Hall of Fame slugger Henry Aaron.

"My dad, his name is Henry," Malloy said. "He was named after Hank Aaron, and then, I'm Justyn-Henry. I think every Black kid's dream is to wear 42 in the big leagues, but you can't, so the best alternative that I always thought was 44 as a kid growing up."

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If it were up to him, Malloy would be wearing No. 42 with the Tigers in honor of Jackie Robinson, just like he wore during his college career at Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, but Robinson's No. 42 has been retired by MLB since 1997, exactly 50 years after Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

It's the only number retired for every MLB team.

But Aaron's No. 44 is available.

Aaron, who handled racism with grace as he broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record in 1974, played 23 seasons for the Atlanta Braves (1954-1974) and Milwaukee Brewers (1975-76) in his MLB career. Aaron, a 25-time All-Star and the 1957 National League MVP, hit .305 with 755 home runs in 3,298 games, and he remains the all-time leader with 2,297 RBIs.

Aaron wore No. 44 for 22 of his 23 seasons.

He also had No. 5 as a rookie in 1954.

"I wouldn't call myself an expert in anything," Malloy said, "but I know how big of an influence he's had on the game, how good he was as a baseball player, and I just think to stay as close as I can to 42 and then still get 44 with the history behind it, that's all I can ask for."

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To get No. 44, Malloy had to ask Tigers coach Gary Jones.

The discussions happened at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, where Malloy made his debut and played the first three games of his career. In his third and final game, the 24-year-old launched a home run for his first hit to break up a perfect game in the sixth inning against Texas Rangers right-hander José Ureña.

"What wager can we put in place so I can get 44?" Malloy said.

"I'll just give it to you," Jones responded.

The next day, Jones — who had worn No. 44 since he joined the Tigers' coaching staff in 2022 — tapped Malloy on the shoulder and told him he had reconsidered. The 63-year-old coach was always going to give up the number, but he wanted to set up a surprise for the rookie player.

"I don't think I can just give it to you," Jones said. "I'm having second thoughts. My girls, they love 44."

Malloy implored Jones for No. 44.

"Come on, Jonesy," Malloy said. "I just think it would be so cool that a young brother can wear 44."

"Oh," Jones said, "I guess I'm not a brother anymore."

Malloy and Jones burst out laughing.

Dan Ross, the Tigers' clubhouse manager, also laughed.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Malloy said.

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After that, Jones went around the Tigers' clubhouse telling everyone the story of the funny interaction with Malloy, but he never made an official decision whether or not to give No. 44 to Malloy.

The Tigers finished a six-game road trip and returned to Detroit for Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, marking Malloy's first game at Comerica Park. There was a surprise waiting for him at his locker when he walked into the Tigers' clubhouse for the first time.

The No. 44 jersey was hanging in his locker.

"I was like, 'No way, it happened,'" Malloy said.

Jones switched from No. 44 to No. 86; Malloy switched from No. 36 to No. 44.

"I gave him a big hug," Malloy said. "He was like, 'You owe me.' I was like, 'I know I do.' I owe him, but it's whatever he wants, whatever he needs. This is a dream of mine, so there was really no price that I wouldn't have paid to do that."

These are the top 10 players in MLB history to wear No. 44 at some point in their MLB career: Aaron (143.1 bWAR), Reggie Jackson (74 bWAR), Willie McCovey (64.4 bWAR), David Cone (62.3 bWAR), Paul Goldschmidt (61.9 bWAR), Early Wynn (61 bWAR), Chet Lemon (55.7 bWAR), Roy Oswalt (50 bWAR), Frank Viola (47 bWAR) and Mike Cameron (46.7 bWAR).

After six games, Malloy — an outfielder who will spend most of his time at designated hitter — is hitting .188 (3-for-16) with one home run, four walks and six strikeouts across 21 plate appearances. He hit .278 with a .410 on-base percentage throughout his 351-game career at the Triple-A level.

"I always wanted to be 42, and then, obviously, you can't do that here because it's retired, and it needs to be retired," Malloy said. "But to have the opportunity to wear 44, and with the history behind it, and not even just Hank Aaron, but the history of players that have worn that number and have been so successful, I feel like it brings good juju, good vibes. To wear it and to represent it well is all I really want to do."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Getting Hank Aaron's No. 44 wasn't easy for Tigers' Justyn-Henry Malloy