Number 31 was worn by umpire Mike Reilly in the American League (AL), and it was assigned to Reilly when the AL and NL merged their umpiring staffs in 2000, so when Davidson returned to MLB, he was assigned 61 as his new number.
Number 31 was assigned to umpire Mike Reilly in the American League (AL) as part of the merger between the AL and NL's officiating staffs in 2000. Consequently, Davidson was given the number 61 upon his return to MLB.