Major League Baseball (MLB) and its participating clubs have retired various uniform numbers over the course of time, ensuring that those numbers are never worn again and thus will always be associated with particular players or managers of note. The use of numbers on uniforms to better identify one player from another, and hence to boost sales of scorecards, was tried briefly by the Cleveland Indians of 1916, but this failed. The first team to permanently adopt the practice was the New York Yankees of 1929. By 1932, all 16 major league clubs were issuing numbers, and by 1937, the leagues passed rules requiring it.
The Yankees' original approach was to simply assign the numbers 1 through 8 to the regular starting lineup in their normal batting order. Hence, Babe Ruth wore number 3 and Lou Gehrig number 4. The first major leaguer whose number was retired was Gehrig, in July 1939, following his retirement due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which became popularly known in the United States as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Since then, over 150 other people have had their numbers retired, some with more than one team. This includes managers and coaches, as MLB is the only one of the major North American professional leagues in which the coaching staff wear the same uniforms as players. Three numbers have been retired in honor of people not directly involved on the playing field – all three for team executives. Some of the game's early stars, such as Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson, retired before numbers came into usage. Teams often celebrate their retired numbers and other honored people by hanging banners with the numbers and names. Early stars, as well as honored non-players, will often have numberless banners hanging along with the retired numbers. Because fewer and fewer players stay with one team long enough to warrant their number being retired, some players believe that getting their number retired is a greater honor than going into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ron Santo, upon his number 10 being retired by the Chicago Cubs on the last day of the 2003 regular season, enthusiastically told the Wrigley Field crowd as his #10 flag was hoisted, "This is my Hall of Fame!"[1] However, Santo would be inducted into the Hall of Fame in July 2012, nearly two years after his death, after being voted in by the Veterans Committee.
Retired by multiple teams
A handful of players who had notable careers for multiple teams have had their numbers retired by each team.[13]
- Frank Robinson's #20 was retired by the Reds, Orioles and the then-Indians.
- Rod Carew's #29 was retired by the Twins and Angels.
- Hank Aaron's #44 was retired by the Braves and Brewers.
- Reggie Jackson had his #9 retired by the Athletics, and his #44 retired by the Yankees.
- Rollie Fingers' #34 was retired by the Athletics and Brewers.
- Carlton Fisk had his #27 retired by the Red Sox, and his #72 retired by the White Sox.
- Greg Maddux's #31 was retired by the Cubs and Braves.
- Nolan Ryan had his #30 retired by the Angels, while his #34 is retired by the Astros and Rangers.
- Wade Boggs's #12 was retired by the then-Devil Rays, and his #26 is retired by the Red Sox.
- Roy Halladay's #32 was retired by the Blue Jays, and his #34 is retired by the Phillies.
- Jackie Robinson’s #42 has been retired by every team in MLB, due to him breaking the color barrier in baseball.
- Gil Hodges' #14 was retired by the Mets and Dodgers.
- Willie Mays' #24 was retired by the Giants and Mets.
Excluding Jackie Robinson, only Frank Robinson and Nolan Ryan have had their number(s) retired by three teams. Managers Casey Stengel and Sparky Anderson have also had numbers retired by two teams. Stengel's #37 was retired by the Yankees and Mets. Anderson's #10 was retired by the Reds, and his #11 was retired by the Tigers.[14]
Alternative methods of recognition
A number of teams have formal or informal policies of only retiring numbers of players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, although there is no league-wide uniformity and teams sometimes break their own guidelines.[15][16] As an alternative to retiring numbers, many teams have established other means of honoring former players, such as team-specific Halls of Fame (Angels, Astros, Athletics, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Indians, Mariners, Mets, Orioles, Padres, Rangers, Reds, Red Sox, and Twins) or Walls of Fame (Giants and Phillies), a Ring of Honor (Nationals) or Level of Excellence (Blue Jays). In addition, several teams have kept certain numbers out of circulation since a player left, but have not formally retired them.[17][18] The Rangers introduced a third means of honoring former players while preparing to open their current home of Globe Life Field in 2020. In December 2019, a few months before the park's opening, the team announced that all of its retired numbers would be incorporated into the park's posted dimensions.[19]
The Montreal Expos franchise retired jerseys in honor of four players, but returned the numbers to use upon moving to Washington, D.C., to begin play as the Washington Nationals in 2005, becoming the only MLB team with no retired numbers other than Jackie Robinson's No. 42. In 2010, the Nationals established a "Ring of Honor" which as of 2022 includes three of those Expos players (Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, and Tim Raines), along with the Expos' last and Nationals' first manager, Frank Robinson; Nationals players Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Zimmerman; original Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Joe Cronin, Rick Ferrell, Goose Goslin, Bucky Harris, Walter Johnson, Heinie Manush, Sam Rice, Harmon Killebrew, and Early Wynn, as well as owner Clark Griffith; expansion Washington Senators (1961–1971) player Frank Howard; and Homestead Grays players Cool Papa Bell, Ray Brown, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Cumberland Posey, and Jud Wilson.[20][21][22] The Nationals finally retired their first number, Ryan Zimmerman's No. 11, on June 18, 2022.
The Miami Marlins had previously retired #5 in honor of their first team president, the late Carl Barger, but returned it to use entering the 2012 season when they relocated to the venue now known as LoanDepot Park. As of 2023, they are the only franchise with no retired numbers (aside from Jackie Robinson's).
Numbers kept out of circulation
Some teams have not formally retired certain numbers, but nonetheless kept them out of circulation. For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers' current policy is only to retire the numbers of longtime club members if they are inducted into the Hall of Fame; the lone exception was longtime Dodger player and coach Jim Gilliam, whose #19 was retired when he died of a cerebral hemorrhage during the Dodgers' 1978 postseason run. Nevertheless, the Dodgers informally kept Fernando Valenzuela's #34 out of circulation since he last played for the team in 1990.[23] In 2023, the Dodgers announced that his number would be officially retired.
The San Francisco Giants have kept Tim Lincecum's #55 out of circulation since he departed after the 2015 season, though it is not formally retired.[18]
The Miami Marlins have not issued José Fernández’s #16 since his death in September 2016.
The Milwaukee Brewers have not issued Jim Gantner’s #17 since his retirement.
The Seattle Mariners have kept the following numbers out of circulation since the departure of a popular member of the team who wore it: #19 (Jay Buhner), and #51 (initially for Randy Johnson, and later for Ichiro Suzuki).
On Opening Day of the 2012 season, the New York Mets unveiled a memorial "Kid 8" logo to honor the late Gary Carter. Although no Met has worn the number 8 since Carter's election to the Hall of Fame, it is not retired. Following Willie Mays' retirement in 1973, Mets owner Joan Payson promised him that the team would not reissue his #24. In the following four decades, three Met players ended up wearing it: Kelvin Torve (a minor-league callup mistakenly issued the number that wore it for ten days in 1990), Rickey Henderson (1999-2000), and Robinson Cano (2019).[24]). The Mets formally retired Willie Mays' #24 during the Mets Old Timers Day festivities on August 27, 2022. The Mets have not issued #5 since the retirement of David Wright.
The New York Yankees have not re-issued Paul O'Neill's #21 since he ended his career, except for a brief period in 2008 when Morgan Ensberg and then LaTroy Hawkins wore #21, before fan complaints led Hawkins to change his number to No. 22 in April.[25] However, the Yankees formally retired O’Neill’s #21 on August 21, 2022.
The Baltimore Orioles have not re-issued numbers 7, 44, and 46 since the passing of Cal Ripken, Sr., Elrod Hendricks, and Mike Flanagan respectively. The team has placed a moratorium on the three numbers in their honors.[26]
The Boston Red Sox have not re-issued uniform numbers 21 (Roger Clemens), 33 (Jason Varitek) and 49 (Tim Wakefield) since those players left the Red Sox or ended their careers.[27]
The St. Louis Cardinals have not re-issued Albert Pujols's #5 since he left the team after 2011. Pujols returned to the team in 2022, and was reissued his old #5. It was kept out of circulation again after Pujols' retirement that same year. Yadier Molina's #4 was also taken out of circulation upon his retirement in 2022.
After Darryl Kile's death in 2002, the teams he played for (Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, and St. Louis Cardinals) took his #57 out of circulation.[17] The Cardinals first re-issued the number in 2021 Spring Training, to pitcher Zack Thompson.
The Colorado Rockies have not re-issued Carlos Gonzalez's #5 since he left the team after 2018.
The Tampa Bay Rays have not re-issued Evan Longoria's #3 since he left the team after 2017.
The Detroit Tigers have not re-issued Justin Verlander's #35 since his departure from the team in 2017.
The Los Angeles Angels had not re-issued Nick Adenhart's #34, after he was killed in a car accident on April 9, 2009, although Noah Syndergaard requested and received the number when he joined the team in 2022. He stated that he wanted to wear his old Mets’ number as a tribute to Adenhart. The Angels have not re-issued Tim Salmon's #15 since his retirement at the end of the 2006 season. They have not retired Tyler Skaggs #45 since he died on July 1, 2019, although it is not in use anymore. For the remainder of the 2019 season, they put the 45 on the mound instead of the sponsor.
Number retired by Major League Baseball
(Left): The number 42 worn by Robinson on a plaque at Monument Park; (right): Mariano Rivera was the last player to wear the 42 on his shirt
Normally the individual clubs are responsible for retiring numbers. On April 15, 1997, Major League Baseball took the unusual move of retiring a number for all teams. On the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the major league color barrier, his number 42 was retired throughout the majors, at the order of Commissioner Bud Selig. This meant that no future player on any major league team could wear number 42, although players wearing #42 at the time were allowed to continue wearing it (Mariano Rivera was the last active player to be grandfathered in, retiring after the 2013 season).[28]
Starting in the 2007 season, the 60th anniversary of Robinson's Major League debut, players and coaches have all worn the number 42 as a tribute to Robinson on Jackie Robinson Day, April 15.
There is a lobby to have uniform #21 retired in all of baseball to honor Roberto Clemente.[29]
