Boston Red Sox: To Retire a Number or Not to Retire a Number

In a city such as Boston, it feels like we'll retire your number if you hang around long enough.  Of course I'm joking, but if you've ever been to the Garden, there are more numbers hanging overhead than seemingly possible.

Twenty-one Celtic numbers, 10 Bruin numbers and seven Patriot numbers have all been retired.  Then, there is the Boston Red Sox.  In their history only seven Red Sox players have had their numbers retired, and of course, No. 42 for Jackie Robinson as well.

I started to think about those who have passed through the Red Sox organization; those players who have made this team so magical to so many.

I then thought about four names that either have, or will come up in debates: Tony Canigliaro, Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield.

Now, I'm getting a little ahead of myself here.  Bear with me.

You see, what I want to do is have a little run down memory lane with those players that do have their number retired by the Red Sox and examine why the team decided to commemorate those players within the hallowed grounds of Fenway Park.

According to their website, the Sox will only retire a player's number if he has spent 10 or more years with the team and has been elected to Cooperstown.  Pretty reasonable standards in my opinion.

With that in mind, let's begin our journey by looking at those Red Sox legends whose number already adorns the right field bleachers beyond Pesky's Pole.

No. 1: Bobby Doerr

Ninety-three-year-old Bobby Doerr is the oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  He spent all 14 seasons of his professional baseball career playing second base for the Boston Red Sox.

Doerr was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1986.

During his career, he was a nine-time All-Star and was a top 25 MVP candidate seven times. He lead the American League in SLG in 1944 with a .528 average.  That same year he was named The Sporting News AL Player of the Year.

In 1950, Doerr finished the season with 11 triples, tying Dom DiMaggio for the most in the American League that season.

It is worth noting that in the 1946 World Series, Doerr led all Red Sox batters with an impressive 9-22 showing at the plate, giving him a .409 average.

Doerr would be forced to retire following the 1951 season due to back injury.

His number was retired by the Red Sox on May 21, 1988.

No. 4: Joe Cronin

Shortstop Joseph Edward Cronin spent the final 11 seasons of his 20-year playing career with the Boston Red Sox.  

From 1935-1945 it could be argued that Cronin played better than he had in the first nine years of his career.  He was a five-time All-Star with the Red Sox, while only making the  team twice with Washington and never with Pittsburgh.

Joe Cronin's list of accomplishments end far from there, however.  He was the first modern-day player to become a league president.

During his career he maintained a .301 batting average over the course of 20 seasons.  He had a career .390 OBP, a .468 SLG and a .857 OPS.

While having played for the Sox for 11 seasons, he was active with the team for a total of 24 seasons acting as either a player, player/manager, manager or general manager.  He held the record for most wins by a Red Sox manager with 1,071 until a man named Terry Francona broke the record.

Cronin also holds a couple of quirky records.  For example, he holds the AL record for most pinch-hit homers in one season with five.  He was also the first player ever to pinch-hit a home run in both games of a doubleheader on June 17, 1943.

Cronin was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1956 and his number was one of the first two retired by the Red Sox on May 19, 1984 alongside Ted Williams.

No. 6: Johnny Pesky

Johnny Pesky is a rare bird.  He is not in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and he was only an All-Star once during his career.

However, Johnny Pesky is Mr. Red Sox.

While he only played in Boston for eight seasons, he officially was associated with the Red Sox for 21 years as a player, coach and manager.

It is the unofficial part that is special.  

Pesky has been around the Red Sox organization for a significant majority of the last 60 years. While many fans go in droves to see a Red Sox game and often refer to "Pesky Pole' in right field, seldom few actually know how the pole received its name.

As I understand it, former Red Sox pitcher, Mel Parnell, named the pole after Pesky having seen him wrap a couple of homers around it.  Ironically enough, Pesky amassed only 17 career home runs, but the name stuck unofficially until Pesky's 87th birthday in 2006 when finally the team recognized the name with a plaque in his honor.

Pesky's number was retired by the Red Sox one day after his 89th birthday: September 28, 2006.  

No. 8: Carl Yastrzemski

Few players have had bigger shoes to fill than Yaz.

Looking back at his 23-season career, I think it is safe to say he did okay for himself.  Yaz was an 18-time All-Star with seven Gold Gloves to his credit.  He led the AL in BA three times, OBP five times, SLG three times, OPS four times, runs three times and in 1967 he led the league in home runs with 44 and RBI with 121.

1967 was the last time anyone has won the Triple Crown award.  It matches his MVP from that season so nicely.

On top of those achievements, Yaz also won the 1967 ML Hutch Award, 1967 ML Major League Player of the Year and the 1970 ML AS MVP award.

Yaz has also played 167 consecutive errorless games and is one of the few AL players with 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 receiving 95 percent of HOF voting, which was the seventh highest figure in the history of voting at that time.

His number was retired by the Red Sox on August 6, 1989.

No. 9: Ted Williams

The Kid, Teddy Ballgame, Splendid Splinter or Thumper, whatever you want to call him, make sure quickly thereafter you refer to him as the greatest Red Sox player to ever live.

Ted Williams is a 17-time All-Star and was the AL MVP twice.  He won the Triple Crown twice, led the AL in batting six times, home runs four times, total bases five times, walks eight times, slugging nine times and OPS 10 times.

Teddy hold the MLB record for most successive times reaching base safely: 16, in September 1957.  He was also the oldest player to ever win a batting title in 1957.  He was 39 years old and still hit .388.  Then... he did it again in 1958 at age 40.

Williams also holds the records for most walks (107) and RBI (145) for a rookie.  He holds a team record 17 grand slams as well.

Williams was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 and his number was one of the first two retired by the Red Sox on May 19, 1984 along side Joe Cronin.

No. 14: Jim Rice

Jim Rice played his entire 16 seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 1974 through 1989. He came in second in the 1975 Rookie of the Year voting and was an eight time All-Star for the Red Sox.

Rice was the 1978 American League MVP and was a top-five MVP candidate on five other occasions while placing in the top 20 two more additional times.

Rice is also a two-time Silver Slugger award winner.

He led the American League in hits in 1978 with 213 and led the league in triples once, home runs three times, RBI twice, SLG twice and OPS once.

Rice was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2009 and his number was retired by the Red Sox on July 28, 2009.

No. 27: Carlton Fisk

Carlton Fisk spent 24 seasons in a Sox uniform... only 11 of them were Red.  From 1969-1980 Pudge was behind the plate at Fenway Park.  

During his tenure in Boston, Fisk was a seven-time All-Star, won a Gold Glove and finished in the top 20 MVP voting four times.

In 1972, he won the Rookie of the Year award with the first ever unanimous vote.  He batted .293 that season with 22 home runs, 61 RBI and tied the AL lead for triples with nine.

When the All-Star game was held at Fenway Park in 1999, he was the honorary AL captain.

Pudge was the all-time Red Sox leader in games caught with 990 and was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame on September 8, 1997.  

Fisk was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000 and his number was retired by the Red Sox on September 4, 2000.

Should Tony Canigliaro's No. 25 Be Retired?

It is a nice gesture that new manager Bobby Valentine has selected No. 25 to wear in honor of Tony Canigliaro.

For some, that gesture may not be good enough.

Tony C was supposed to be the next big star for the Red Sox and was really coming into his own during the 1967 season.  Through 95 games he managed 100 hits, 20 home runs, 67 RBI... and then on August 18, 1967, the Red Sox were hosting the Angels when Conig would take a fastball from Jack Hamilton off of his left cheek bone.  

In 1967, batting helmets did not have the protective ear flap they do today.  

He sustained a linear fracture of the left cheekbone and a dislocated jaw with severe damage to his left retina, ending his season.

A year-and-a-half later, Tony C would make an incredible return to the game, winning Comeback Player of the Year award in 1969 posting a .255/.321/.427/.748 batting line with 20 home runs and 82 RBI.

In 1970 he would hit career highs with 36 home runs and 116 RBI.  

Tony C would eventually be forced to retire because his eyesight had grown too poor.  He finished his career having played for eight seasons and 876 games, 802 of which was for the Red Sox.

Bobby Valentine will be the 13th player to wear No. 25 since Conigliario last wore it in 1975. Should he be the last?  He is not in the Hall of Fame, nor did he play for the Red Sox for 10 seasons.

I'm sorry Tony C... I can't make that leap.  In my opinion, no.

Should Pedro Martinez's No. 45 Be Retired?

In his seven seasons with the Red Sox, Pedro put together some of the finest pitching performances anyone, let alone Boston fans, had ever seen.

He was an All-Star four times, won two Cy Young Awards, was robbed of the league MVP in 1999 (sorry, I'm still bitter) and placed second, third and fourth in the Cy Young race while in town.  

He has a career 2.52 ERA for the Red Sox with a 0.978 WHIP.  In seven seasons he struck out 1,683 batters for the local nine.

Pedro was also the 1999 ML AS MVP, won the 1999 AL Triple Crown and was named the 1999 and 2000 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year.

Oh... and he was kinda instrumental in winning the 2004 World Series.

The knocks on him right now: he is not yet in the Hall of Fame, but is there any doubt he's a first ballot election?  Second, he only played seven years in town.  Should No. 45 be retired? No other player has worn it since he left in 2004.  I doubt anyone else ever will.

In my opinion, Pedro will see 45 sitting pretty up behind Pesky's Pole the same summer he's elected in to the Hall of Fame.

Should Tim Wakefield's No. 49 Be Retired?

Tim Wakefield falls into the Johnny Pesky category to me.  I sincerely doubt he'll ever receive any legitimate Hall of Fame push, nor do I think that he should.

However, he has been a member of the Red Sox for the past 17 seasons.  During that time he's won 186 games for Boston and taken every role they've thrown his way: starter, set-up man, long relief, closer, you name it.  Hell, he was even the lamb sent to the slaughter in 2003 when... nevermind.

But the question is, does loyalty to the team earn you a spot up with the legends?

I don't really think so, so I'll dispel it quickly, but surely people will debate this.

Should Jason Varitek's No. 33 Be Retired?

Jason Varitek is an interesting option.  The captain has spent his entire 15-season career playing for the Red Sox.  During that time, he's been an All-Star three times and won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove.

Tek also finished in the top 30 MVP voting three times as well.

While many fans only remember his bat recently, it was not all that long ago that Varitek was your solid No. five hitter, his finest season coming (in my opinion) in 2003.

While many folks will talk about his intangibles and the uncanny ability to handle a pitching staff, his raw numbers are pretty damn good, especially in the lineage of Red Sox catchers.

Currently, he is the all-time leader in games caught for the Sox, surpassing Carlton Fisk by about 600 or so games.

While it's nothing more than a fun memory to bring up, Varitek also has an iconic image.  As Fisk is immortalized waving his home run fair, Varitek will forever be remembered making A-Rod eat his catchers mitt.

While I don't think Varitek will be in Cooperstown, I do think he will one day be in the Red Sox Hall of Fame.  That might be good enough to put No. 33 up there with Pudge.