Joe Torre's No. 6 Jersey Will Be Retired by New York Yankees

The New York Yankees will retire former manager Joe Torre's No. 6 jersey, according to ESPN SportsCenter's official Twitter account: 

No Yankees player or coach had been issued the number since Torre stepped down in October 2007.

On Tuesday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that the franchise was planning to retire Torre's number at some point in the near future, according to New York Daily News' Mark Feinsand. 

"

We haven’t given it out for a reason. It’s been tucked away for quite some time. At some point, that will happen, no doubt about it. Clearly it’s already unofficially happened because we’ve left that open.

"

For Torre, the high honor comes just days after he was unanimously elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame along with legendary managers Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa. 

The 73-year-old will surely be appreciative of the recognition as he was humbled to find out he would be enshrined in Cooperstown, per MLB on Twitter:

Torre's playing career spanned two decades from 1960 to 1977. But he left his mark as manager of one of the most successful and recognizable franchises in professional sports. Torre took over as manager of the Yankees in 1996 and after a tough start quickly won over the fans in New York. 

He would earn Manager of the Year honors in 1996, leading the Yankees to their 23rd World Series title in his first season at the helm. The Yankees would go on to win three more World Series championships under Torre and make the playoffs in all 12 seasons.

Torre currently works with Major League Baseball's Commissioner's Office, serving as the league's Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.