Lou Gehrig, First To Have Number Retired, Launched A Major Tradition

As Major League Baseball marks Lou Gehrig Day on June 2, the tradition that began with the retirement of his uniform number has become the most popular way for a team to honor a former hero.

Gehrig’s No. 4 – assigned to him by the Yankees in 1929 because of his spot in the batting order – was officially retired on July 4, 1939. That was the day the dying slugger told a packed Yankee Stadium that he was “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

Two years later, he died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Some 200 numbers have been retired since, with several planned for this summer.

Later this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers will retire the No. 14 worn by Gil Hodges, primarily when the team was based in Brooklyn. Hodges, a powerful first baseman with elite defensive skills, later managed the New York Mets to the 1969 world championship. The Mets will be at Dodger Stadium June 4 – along with Gil Hodges, Jr. and other members of the family.

Also slated for retirement this year are the jerseys worn by Will Clark (Giants), Keith Hernandez (Mets), Jim Kaat (Twins), Paul O’Neill (Yankees), Dave Stewart (Athletics), Lou Whitaker (Tigers), and Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals).

Not surprisingly, the team with the most world championships has the most retired numbers. After the Yankees retired No. 2 for Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, they had no single digits left.

Players honored with retired numbers in the Bronx included Billy Martin (1), Jeter (2), Babe Ruth (3), Gehrig (4), Joe DiMaggio (5), Joe Torre (6), Mickey Mantle (7), Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey (8), and Roger Maris (9).

The most popular retired number is 20, which has been honored nearly a dozen times since Frank Robinson became the first, during 1972 spring training. Robinson’s number, initially retired by the Orioles, was later retired by both the Reds in 1998 and the Indians (now Guardians) in 2017. He had been baseball’s first black manager with Cleveland.

Other stars who wore that number included Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt (Phillies), Lou Brock (Cardinals), Don Sutton (Dodgers), Pie Traynor (Pirates), and Monte Irvin (Giants).

Irvin’s teammate, Willie Mays, not only made No. 24 famous but collected jerseys from visiting players who wore the same number. He got many of them by trading his own uniform tops, which he ordered from the Giants just for that purpose.

Ken Griffey, Jr. later made No. 24 popular with a younger generation, with legions of fans, admirers, and would-be youthful center-fielders buying and wearing T-shirts and jerseys in his honor.

The number 42, worn by integration pioneer Jackie Robinson in 1947, was universally retired 50 years later, in 1997, and is twice retired by both the Yankees and Cardinals in honor of Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and Bruce Sutter.

Of the 10 players who had their numbers retired by multiple teams, two were honored three times: Frank Robinson and Nolan Ryan.

In addition, seven teams have honored more than one player who wore the same number. In addition to the shared No. 9 of the Yankees, for example, the Chicago Cubs honored Hall of Fame pitchers Greg Maddux and Ferguson Jenkins by retiring No. 31.

Stars who played before numbers became universal – from Ty Cobb to Christy Mathewson – are usually honored by having their names posted prominently at the ballpark, often in a circle near numbers that are retired for others. Broadcasters, owners, and executives have received similar accolades.

There’s even an on-deck circle for numbers likely to be retired in the future. The New York Mets have kept David Wright’s No. 5 and Gary Carter’s No. 8 out of circulation since they played for the team, while the Seattle Mariners have put a freeze on No. 51, worn by Randy Johnson and later by Ichiro Suzuki.

Today’s ballparks are filled with spectators saluting their favorite players by wearing their numbers while they watch games. There are plenty of Ruth and Mantle jerseys in the stands at Yankee Stadium, where the retired numbers can be viewed at Monument Park, behind the outfield wall.

Not surprisingly, Hank Aaron’s long-retired No. 44 fills Atlanta’s Truist Park after the long-time home run king’s death in January 2021.

Many clubs, including the Mets and Boston Red Sox, display their retired numbers along the rim of their stadiums’ second deck. Others, like the Chicago Cubs, feature flags that fly the legendary digits.

Retired numbers – and some of the original jerseys worn by the honored players – have found an appropriate resting place in Cooperstown.

The Baseball Hall of Fame has two original No. 3 jerseys from Babe Ruth, two No. 4 tops from Lou Gehrig, a No. 5 donated by DiMaggio, and a No. 7 given by Mickey Mantle after he hung up his spikes in 1968.