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.

List of all-time retired numbers

No.	Player or other figure	Team	Date
1	Billy Meyer	Pirates	1954
1	Bud Selig†[Notes 1]	Brewers	April 6, 2015
1	Pee Wee Reese†	Dodgers	July 1, 1984
1	Bobby Doerr†	Red Sox	May 21, 1988
1	Fred Hutchinson	Reds	October 19, 1964
1	Ozzie Smith†	Cardinals	September 26, 1996
1	Richie Ashburn†	Phillies	August 24, 1979
1	Billy Martin	Yankees	August 10, 1986
1	Lou Whitaker	Tigers	August 6, 2022
2	Red Schoendienst†	Cardinals	May 11, 1996
2	Nellie Fox†	White Sox	May 1, 1976
2	Tommy Lasorda†	Dodgers	August 15, 1997
2	Charlie Gehringer†	Tigers	June 12, 1983
2	Derek Jeter†	Yankees	May 14, 2017
3	Babe Ruth†	Yankees	June 13, 1948
3	Earl Averill†	Guardians	June 8, 1975
3	Bill Terry†	Giants	April 5, 1983
3	Harmon Killebrew†	Twins	May 4, 1975
3	Dale Murphy	Braves	June 13, 1994
3	Harold Baines†	White Sox	August 20, 1989
3	Alan Trammell†	Tigers	August 26, 2018
4	Luke Appling†	White Sox	June 7, 1975
4	Earl Weaver†	Orioles	September 19, 1982
4	Duke Snider†	Dodgers	July 6, 1980
4	Ralph Kiner†	Pirates	September 19, 1987
4	Lou Gehrig†	Yankees	July 4, 1939
4	Paul Molitor†	Brewers	June 11, 1999
4	Mel Ott†	Giants	July 17, 1948
4	Joe Cronin†	Red Sox	1984
5	Brooks Robinson†	Orioles	April 14, 1978
5	Lou Boudreau†	Guardians	July 9, 1970
5	George Brett†	Royals	May 14, 1994
5	Johnny Bench†	Reds	August 11, 1984
5	Hank Greenberg†	Tigers	June 12, 1983
5	Joe DiMaggio†	Yankees	April 18, 1952
5	Jeff Bagwell†	Astros	August 26, 2007
6	Johnny Pesky	Red Sox	September 28, 2008
6	Steve Garvey	Padres	April 16, 1988
6	Stan Musial†	Cardinals	September 29, 1963
6	Al Kaline†	Tigers	August 17, 1980
6	Tony Oliva†	Twins	July 14, 1991
6	Bobby Cox†	Braves	August 12, 2011
6	Joe Torre†	Yankees	August 23, 2014
7	Mickey Mantle†	Yankees	June 8, 1969
7	Craig Biggio†	Astros	August 17, 2008
7	Iván Rodríguez†	Rangers	August 12, 2017
7	Joe Mauer†	Twins	June 15, 2019
8	Willie Stargell†	Pirates	September 6, 1982
8	Joe Morgan†	Reds	June 6, 1998
8	Yogi Berra†	Yankees	July 22, 1972
8	Bill Dickey†	Yankees	July 22, 1972
8	Cal Ripken Jr.†	Orioles	October 6, 2001
8	Carl Yastrzemski†	Red Sox	August 6, 1989
9	Ted Williams†	Red Sox	September 1960
9	Reggie Jackson†	Athletics	May 22, 2004
9	Minnie Miñoso†	White Sox	May 8, 1983
9	Enos Slaughter†	Cardinals	September 6, 1996
9	Bill Mazeroski†	Pirates	August 7, 1987
9	Roger Maris	Yankees	July 21, 1984
10	Sparky Anderson†	Reds	May 28, 2005
10	Dick Howser	Royals	July 3, 1987
10	Phil Rizzuto†	Yankees	August 4, 1985
10	Ron Santo†	Cubs	September 28, 2003
10	Tony La Russa†	Cardinals	May 11, 2012
10	Tom Kelly	Twins	September 8, 2012
10	Chipper Jones†	Braves	June 28, 2013
10	Michael Young	Rangers	August 31, 2019
11	Carl Hubbell†	Giants	1944
11	Jim Fregosi	Angels	August 1, 1998
11	Luis Aparicio†[Notes 2]	White Sox	August 14, 1984
11	Paul Waner†	Pirates	July 21, 2007
11	Sparky Anderson†	Tigers	June 26, 2011
11	Barry Larkin†	Reds	August 25, 2012
11	Edgar Martínez†	Mariners	August 12, 2017
11	Ryan Zimmerman	Nationals	June 18, 2022
12	Wade Boggs†	Rays	April 7, 2000
13	Dave Concepción	Reds	August 25, 2007
14	Ernie Banks†	Cubs	August 22, 1982
14	Kent Hrbek	Twins	August 13, 1995
14	Larry Doby†	Guardians	July 3, 1994
14	Ken Boyer	Cardinals	May 20, 1984
14	Gil Hodges†	Mets	June 9, 1973
14	Jim Bunning†	Phillies	April 16, 2001
14	Jim Rice†	Red Sox	July 28, 2009
14	Paul Konerko	White Sox	May 23, 2015
14	Pete Rose	Reds	June 26, 2016
14	Gil Hodges†	Dodgers	June 4, 2022
15	Dick Allen	Phillies	September 3, 2020
15	Thurman Munson	Yankees	August 3, 1979
16	Ted Lyons†	White Sox	July 25, 1987
16	Whitey Ford†	Yankees	August 3, 1974
16	Hal Newhouser†	Tigers	July 27, 1997
16	Dwight Gooden	Mets	April 14, 2024
17	Dizzy Dean†	Cardinals	September 22, 1974
17	Todd Helton†	Rockies	August 17, 2014
17	Keith Hernandez	Mets	July 9, 2022
18	Mel Harder	Guardians	July 28, 1990
18	Ted Kluszewski	Reds	July 18, 1998
18	Darryl Strawberry	Mets	June 1, 2024
19	Bob Feller†	Guardians	December 28, 1956
19	Billy Pierce	White Sox	July 25, 1987
19	Jim Gilliam	Dodgers	October 10, 1978
19	Tony Gwynn†	Padres	September 4, 2004
19	Robin Yount†	Brewers	May 29, 1994
20	Luis Gonzalez	Diamondbacks	August 7, 2010
20	Monte Irvin†	Giants	June 26, 2010
20	Lou Brock†	Cardinals	September 9, 1979
20	Jorge Posada	Yankees	August 22, 2015
20	Frank Robinson†	Orioles	March 10, 1972
20	Frank Robinson†	Reds	May 22, 1998
20	Frank Robinson†	Guardians	May 27, 2017
20	Pie Traynor†	Pirates	April 18, 1972
20	Mike Schmidt†	Phillies	May 26, 1990
20	Don Sutton†	Dodgers	August 14, 1998
20	Frank White	Royals	May 2, 1995
21	Bob Lemon†	Guardians	June 20, 1998
21	Warren Spahn†	Braves	December 11, 1965
21	Roberto Clemente†	Pirates	April 6, 1973
21	Paul O'Neill	Yankees	August 21, 2022
22	Jim Palmer†	Orioles	September 1, 1985
22	Will Clark	Giants	July 30, 2022
23	Ryne Sandberg†	Cubs	August 28, 2005
23	Don Mattingly	Yankees	August 31, 1997
23	Willie Horton	Tigers	July 15, 2000
23	Ted Simmons†	Cardinals	July 31, 2021
24	Whitey Herzog†	Cardinals	July 31, 2010
24	Tony Pérez†	Reds	May 27, 2000
24	Willie Mays†	Giants	May 12, 1972
24	Walter Alston†	Dodgers	June 5, 1977
24	Ken Griffey Jr.†	Mariners	August 6, 2016[Notes 3]
24	Jimmy Wynn	Astros	June 25, 2005
24	Rickey Henderson†	Athletics	August 1, 2009
24	Willie Mays†	Mets	August 27, 2022
25	José Cruz	Astros	October 3, 1992
25	Barry Bonds	Giants	August 11, 2018
25	Jim Thome†	Guardians	August 18, 2018
25	Andruw Jones	Braves	September 9, 2023
26	Billy Williams†	Cubs	August 13, 1987
26	Gene Autry[Notes 4]	Angels	August 3, 1982
26	Johnny Oates	Rangers	August 5, 2005
26	Wade Boggs†	Red Sox	May 26, 2016
27	Carlton Fisk†	Red Sox	September 4, 2000
27	Catfish Hunter†	Athletics	June 9, 1991
27	Juan Marichal†	Giants	July 10, 1983
28	Bert Blyleven†	Twins	July 16, 2011
29	Rod Carew†	Angels	August 6, 1991
29	Rod Carew†	Twins	July 19, 1987
29	John Smoltz†	Braves	June 8, 2012
29	Adrián Beltré†	Rangers	June 8, 2019
30	Orlando Cepeda†	Giants	July 11, 1999
30	Nolan Ryan†	Angels	June 16, 1992
31	Dave Winfield†	Padres	April 14, 2001
31	Greg Maddux†	Cubs	May 3, 2009
31	Greg Maddux†	Braves	July 17, 2009
31	Ferguson Jenkins†	Cubs	May 3, 2009
31	Mike Piazza†	Mets	July 30, 2016
32	Steve Carlton†	Phillies	July 29, 1989
32	Sandy Koufax†	Dodgers	June 4, 1972
32	Elston Howard	Yankees	July 21, 1984
32	Jim Umbricht	Astros	April 12, 1965
32	Roy Halladay†	Blue Jays	March 29, 2018
33	Mike Scott	Astros	October 3, 1992
33	Eddie Murray†	Orioles	June 7, 1998
33	Honus Wagner†	Pirates	February 16, 1952
33	Larry Walker†	Rockies	September 25, 2021
34	Rollie Fingers†	Brewers	August 9, 1992
34	Rollie Fingers†	Athletics	July 5, 1993
34	Nolan Ryan†	Rangers	September 15, 1996
34	Nolan Ryan†	Astros	September 29, 1996
34	Kirby Puckett†	Twins	May 25, 1997
34	David Ortiz†	Red Sox	June 23, 2017
34	Roy Halladay†	Phillies	August 8, 2021
34	Dave Stewart	Athletics	September 11, 2022
34	Fernando Valenzuela	Dodgers	August 11, 2023
35	Randy Jones	Padres	May 9, 1997
35	Phil Niekro†	Braves	August 6, 1984
35	Frank Thomas†	White Sox	August 29, 2010
36	Gaylord Perry†	Giants	July 23, 2005
36	Robin Roberts†	Phillies	March 21, 1962
36	Jerry Koosman	Mets	August 28, 2021
36	Jim Kaat†	Twins	July 16, 2022
37	Casey Stengel†	Yankees	August 8, 1970
37	Casey Stengel†	Mets	September 2, 1965
39	Roy Campanella†	Dodgers	June 4, 1972
40	Don Wilson	Astros	April 13, 1975
40	Danny Murtaugh	Pirates	April 7, 1977
41	Eddie Mathews†	Braves	July 26, 1969
41	Tom Seaver†	Mets	June 24, 1988
42	Mariano Rivera†[Notes 5]	Yankees	September 22, 2013
42	Jackie Robinson†	Dodgers	June 4, 1972
42	Jackie Robinson†	All MLB	April 15, 1997
42	Bruce Sutter†[Notes 5]	Cardinals	September 17, 2006
43	Dennis Eckersley†	Athletics	August 13, 2005
44	Hank Aaron†	Braves	April 15, 1977
44	Hank Aaron†	Brewers	October 3, 1976
44	Reggie Jackson†	Yankees	August 14, 1993
44	Willie McCovey†	Giants	September 21, 1980
45	Bob Gibson†	Cardinals	September 1, 1975
45	Pedro Martínez†	Red Sox	July 28, 2015
46	Andy Pettitte	Yankees	August 23, 2015
47	Tom Glavine†	Braves	August 6, 2010
47	Jack Morris†	Tigers	August 12, 2018
49	Larry Dierker	Astros	May 19, 2002
49	Ron Guidry	Yankees	August 23, 2003
50	Jimmie Reese	Angels	August 2, 1995
51	Randy Johnson†	Diamondbacks	August 8, 2015
51	Trevor Hoffman†	Padres	August 21, 2011
51	Bernie Williams	Yankees	May 24, 2015
53	Don Drysdale†	Dodgers	July 1, 1984
56	Mark Buehrle	White Sox	June 24, 2017
66	Don Zimmer	Rays	April 6, 2015
72	Carlton Fisk†	White Sox	September 14, 1997
85	August Busch, Jr.[Notes 6]	Cardinals	April 13, 1984
455	Cleveland fans[Notes 7]	Guardians	May 29, 2001
KSM	Keli McGregor[Notes 8]	Rockies	September 28, 2010
NY	Christy Mathewson†[Notes 9]	Giants	August 17, 1986
NY	John McGraw†[Notes 10]	Giants	August 17, 1986
P	Grover Cleveland Alexander†[Notes 11]	Phillies	2001
P	Chuck Klein†[Notes 12]	Phillies	2001
SHEA	William Shea[Notes 13]	Mets	April 8, 2008
SL	Rogers Hornsby†[Notes 14]	Cardinals	1997
	Jack Buck‡[Notes 15]	Cardinals	2002
	Jaime Jarrín‡[Notes 16]	Dodgers	September 21, 2018
	Vin Scully‡[Notes 17]	Dodgers	May 3, 2017
	Ralph Kiner†[Notes 18]	Mets	March 31, 2014
	Bob Murphy†[Notes 19]	Mets	April 5, 2023

List of pending number retirements

Former retired numbers

It is very rare for a team to reissue a retired number, and usually requires a special circumstance, such as the person for whom the number was retired returning to the team in a player, coach or manager role. Harold Baines provides one example of this when he returned to the White Sox multiple times.^[2] The White Sox also re-issued Luis Aparicio's number 11, with his permission, to fellow countryman Omar Vizquel in 2010–11.^[3]

In cases of franchise relocation, the handling of existing retired numbers is at the discretion of team management. The team may decide to continue honoring the retired numbers (as did the San Francisco Giants), or it may choose to make a "fresh start" and reissue the numbers (as the Washington Nationals have done).

The Cincinnati Reds returned Willard Hershberger's number 5 to circulation two years after his death. Cincinnati later re-retired the number to honor Johnny Bench.

When the Florida Marlins moved to their current stadium, LoanDepot Park, and were rebranded as the Miami Marlins, the number 5, which had been retired for the team's late first president Carl Barger, was returned to circulation because player Logan Morrison requested permission to wear the number to honor his father.^[4]

Retired in honor of multiple players

The following numbers have been retired in honor of multiple players:

• Chicago Cubs, #31: retired in 2009 for Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux^[7]
• Cincinnati Reds, #5: retired in 1940 for Willard Hershberger who had committed suicide during the season; returned to service in 1942; retired in 1984 for Johnny Bench^[7]
• Montreal Expos, #10: retired for Rusty Staub in 1993; ceremony to honor #10 for Andre Dawson was held in 1997^[8][7]
• New York Yankees, #8: retired in 1972 for Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra^[9]
• St. Louis Cardinals, #42: retired in 1997 by all teams in MLB for Jackie Robinson; ceremony to honor #42 for Bruce Sutter was held in 2006^[10]
• New York Yankees, #42: retired in 1997 by all teams in MLB for Jackie Robinson (players already wearing the number could continue to do so by special arrangement); ceremony to honor #42 for Mariano Rivera was held in 2013
• Oakland Athletics, #34: retired for Rollie Fingers in 1993; ceremony to honor #34 for Dave Stewart was held in 2022.^[11]

Retired by multiple teams

A handful of players who had notable careers for multiple teams have had their numbers retired by each team.^[12]

• 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.^[13]

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.^[14][15] 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.^[16][17] 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.^[18]

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.^[19][20][21] 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.^[22] 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.^[17]

The Giants also keep the uniform numbers of manager Bruce Bochy (15) and catcher Buster Posey (28) out of circulation.^[23]

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. The Mets have not issued #5 since the retirement of David Wright.

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.^[24]

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.^[25] Varitek later reclaimed #33 upon joining the Red Sox coaching staff.

The St. Louis Cardinals did not reissue Albert Pujols's #5 from his first departure after the 2011 season until his return to the team in 2022. Since his retirement at the end of that season, the Cardinals have again kept the number out of circulation. Yadier Molina's #4 was also taken out of circulation upon his retirement in 2022, as was Adam Wainwright's #50 after his 2023 retirement.

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.^[16] The Cardinals first re-issued the number in 2021 Spring Training, to pitcher Zack Thompson. Fan favorite Willie McGee has not had his #51 issued since he retired in 1999 except for when Bud Smith wore the number in 2001.

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 Tigers also removed Miguel Cabrera's #24 out of circulation following his 2023 retirement.

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 breaking the baseball color line, 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).^[26]

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.^[27]

Similar honors

Players who pre-date uniform numbers

Four teams have honored players who played before the advent of uniform numbers by placing their names among those of players whose numbers have been retired:

• Philadelphia Phillies: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Chuck Klein; both are denoted with a stylized "P" at Citizens Bank Park (Klein had various numbers in the later years of his career, but never wore one consistently)
• Detroit Tigers: Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane, Sam Crawford, Harry Heilmann, Hughie Jennings, George Kell, Heinie Manush; Cobb's name is displayed on the left-field wall of Comerica Park along with the players whose numbers have been retired; the others have their names displayed on the right-field wall (Cochrane actually wore #3 for the Tigers, and Kell wore three different numbers, but the Tigers have not retired these numbers), along with former manager Sparky Anderson. The Tigers eventually retired #3, but that was for Alan Trammell, not Cochrane.
• San Francisco (New York) Giants: Christy Mathewson and John McGraw; both are denoted with "NY" and their names at Oracle Park
• St. Louis Cardinals: Rogers Hornsby, denoted with an "SL" and his name at Busch Stadium

Broadcasters

• Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner – New York Mets; The radio booth at both Shea Stadium and Citi Field are named for the beloved, late Murphy. The television booth at Citi Field is named for Kiner, who continued to broadcast some home games for the Mets until his death in early 2014. In addition, a special memorial logo honoring Kiner, depicting a microphone along with his name and the years 1922–2014, was displayed at Citi Field on the left field wall adjacent to, but not as a part of, the Mets' retired numbers, from 2014 to 2016. In the 2016 Mets yearbook, a sidebar in an article on Mike Piazza's upcoming number retirement implies that Kiner has been "retired" a la William A. Shea.^[28] This was reinforced when the Mets' retired numbers were moved to the roof facade during the 2016 season to accommodate Mike Piazza's #31; Kiner's "number" was placed adjacent to the Shea and Jackie Robinson numbers, no longer separated from the others.
• Jack Buck – St. Louis Cardinals; honored with a drawing of a microphone on the wall with the retired numbers.
• Lon Simmons, Russ Hodges, and Jon Miller – San Francisco Giants; honored with stylized old-style radio microphone displayed in place of a number.
• Marty Brennaman, Waite Hoyt, and Joe Nuxhall – Cincinnati Reds; honored with microphones by the broadcast booth.
• Jerry Coleman – San Diego Padres; a "star on the wall" in reference to his trademark phrase "You can hang a star on that one!" The star is painted in gold on the front of the press box down the right field line, accompanied by Coleman's name in white. Upon Coleman's death in 2014, the broadcast booth at Petco Park was named in his honor.
• Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn – Philadelphia Phillies; At Citizens Bank Park, the restaurant built into the base of the main scoreboard is named "Harry the K's" in Kalas's honor. After Kalas's death, the Phillies' TV-broadcast booth was renamed "The Harry Kalas Broadcast Booth". It is directly next to the radio-broadcast booth, which is named "The Richie 'Whitey' Ashburn Broadcast Booth". They both also have statues at Citizens Bank Park (though Ashburn is in uniform for his statue).
• Ernie Harwell – Detroit Tigers; honored with his name alongside the retired players on the Left-Centerfield Brick wall in Comerica Park and a statue & portrait at the stadium's front entrance. Honored with the Media Center named after him also.
• Bob Uecker – "50 Years in Baseball" along with Uecker's name is next to the Brewers retired numbers at American Family Field.
• Tom Cheek – Toronto Blue Jays; honored with a spot on the Rogers Centre's "Level of Excellence" bearing his name and, in place of a jersey number, 4,306 – his streak of consecutive regular-season broadcasts.
• Harry Caray and Jack Brickhouse – Chicago Cubs: Caray is remembered inside and outside of Wrigley Field. A statue of him leading the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" is near the bleacher entrance (originally at the corner of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue), and a caricature of him adorns his former WGN-TV broadcast booth. Brickhouse's catch phrase, "Hey hey!" is memorialized in large red letters on each foul pole. (Brickhouse also has a statue on Michigan Avenue.)
• Dave Niehaus – Seattle Mariners; the press box at T-Mobile Park was renamed the "Dave Niehaus Media Center" on April 8, 2011, prior to the Mariners' home opener against the Cleveland Indians. In addition, a part of First Avenue NW outside the stadium was renamed Dave Niehaus Way, and the wall in deep right-center field also has a microphone with a Dave Niehaus graphic. There is the Dave Niehaus Statue on the Main Concourse at Section 105.^[29]
• Vin Scully – Los Angeles Dodgers; in 2001, the Dodgers honored Scully by naming the press box at Dodger Stadium the "Vin Scully Press Box". However, on January 29, 2016, the Los Angeles City Council in a unanimous vote, renamed Elysian Park Avenue to Vin Scully Avenue, changing the address of Dodger Stadium to 1000 Vin Scully Ave.^[30]
• Arch McDonald and Bob Wolff - Washington Senators: MacDonald and Wolff's names are on the Washington Nationals' Ring of Honor at Nationals Park.
• Bill King – Oakland Athletics; The Athletics named their broadcast facilities the "Bill King Broadcast Booth" after King's death in 2005.

Owners and contributors

• The initials of the late San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc are painted in gold on the front of the pressbox down the right field line, accompanied by his name in white.
• The initials of the late Boston Red Sox owners Tom and Jean Yawkey are rendered in Morse code and painted in white on the manual scoreboard on Fenway Park's Green Monster.
• Charles Bronfman was inducted into the Expos Hall of Fame as its inaugural member in 1993, and a circular patch placed on the right field wall with his name, the number 83, which he used to wear during spring training, and the words "FONDATEUR / FOUNDER".^[31]
• On April 8, 2008, the final opening day at Shea Stadium, the New York Mets unveiled a "Shea" logo which was displayed on the left-field fence next to the team's retired numbers. The stadium was named for William Shea, a prominent lawyer who was responsible for the return of National League baseball to New York.
• Walter A. Haas Jr., honorary jersey retired (with stylized Old English "A" in place of a number) in 1995, located in right field. Owner of the Oakland Athletics from 1980 until 1995. Haas purchased the team from Charles O. Finley in 1980, saving the team from potentially moving out of the area.
• At the start of the 2007 season, the Kansas City Royals designated Seat #9 in Section 127, Row C at Kauffman Stadium as the "Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat" in honor of Negro leagues legend and Royals scout Buck O'Neil. During each home game, the Royals honor a fan who exemplifies O'Neil's spirit of humanitarianism and community service by inviting that fan to sit in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat.
• Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick, the Toronto Blue Jays's former president and general manager, respectively, have been inducted into the team's Level of Excellence, alongside the team's retired numbers. In addition, a Baseball Hall of Fame banner for Gillick hangs in the Rogers Centre rafters.
• A statue of former Arlington, Texas mayor Tom Vandergriff is located at Vandergriff Plaza at Globe Life Park alongside those of former Texas Rangers Nolan Ryan and Iván Rodríguez, both of whom had their numbers retired. Vandergriff was responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
• The New York Yankees' spring training facility, George M. Steinbrenner Field is named in honor of late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Umpires

See: Umpire (baseball) § Numbers retired by the National and American Leagues