The Yankees have announced that they will honor Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia on September 26, a Saturday night, prior to their game with the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium II. They will retire his uniform Number 52, and give him a Plaque in Monument Park.
He absolutely should have a Plaque. But the retired number? It's the 23rd separate number retired by the team -- Number 8 having been retired for 2 players -- and, so far, the highest. This has messed with the roster, to the point where the current best player on the team, Aaron Judge, wears Number 99, and that will almost certainly be retired someday.
Even Whitey Ford, who received both honors, once said, "There's only four numbers that should be retired, and mine's not one of them." He meant Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle: 3, 4, 5 and 7. The Mount Rushmore of the Yankees.
Here's the list of Retired Numbers:
1 Billy Martin, 2nd base, 1950-57; manager, on and off from 1975 to 1988.
2 Derek Jeter, shortstop, 1995-2014.
3 Babe Ruth, right field, 1920-34.
4 Lou Gehrig, 1st base, 1923-39.
5 Joe DiMaggio, center field, 1936-51.
6 Joe Torre, manager, 1996-2007.
7 Mickey Mantle, center field, 1951-68.
8 Bill Dickey, catcher, 1928-46; manager, 1946; coach, 1949-60.
8 Lawrence "Yogi" Berra, catcher-left field, 1946-63; manager, 1964 and 1984-85; coach, 1975-83.
9 Roger Maris, right field, 1960-66.
10 Phil Rizzuto, shortstop, 1941-56; broadcaster, 1957-96.
15 Thurman Munson, catcher, 1969-79.
16 Whitey Ford, pitcher, 1950-67.
20 Jorge Posada, catcher, 1995-2001.
21 Paul O'Neill, right field, 1993-2001; broadcaster, 2002-present.
23 Don Mattingly, 1st base, 1982-95; coach, 2004-07.
32 Elston Howard, catcher-left field, 1955-67; coach, 1969-80.
37 Charles "Casey" Stengel, manager, 1949-60.
42 Mariano Rivera, pitcher, 1995-2013.
44 Reggie Jackson, right field, 1977-81.
46 Andy Pettitte, pitcher, 1995-2003, 2007-13.
49 Ron Guidry, pitcher, 1975-88.
51 Bernie Williams, center field, 1991-2006.
52 CC Sabathia, pitcher, 2009-19.
Jeter, Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Torre, Mantle, Dickey, Berra, Rizzuto, Ford, Stengel, Rivera, Jackson and Sabathia are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
But if you consider retiring the number to be a higher category, then even Hall induction isn't necessarily enough. Along with Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle: Jackson and the pair of Jeter and Rivera defined a generation of Yankees; Yogi was the greatest catcher ever, and a pop culture figure on top of that; Rizzuto was part of the Yankee family longer than anybody; Munson died while still the team Captain; Ford was the greatest Yankee starting pitcher; Howard was the 1st black Yankee; and Stengel and Torre should be honored as the greatest managers.
So, instead of:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 20, 21, 23, 32, 37, 42, 44, 46, 49, 51, 52.
It should be:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 15, 16, 32, 37, 42, 44.
14 retired numbers. That's enough. It frees 8 (now 9) numbers up.
Honored in Monument Park, but number not retired:
11 Vernon "Lefty" Gomez, pitcher, 1930-42.
15 Charles "Red" Ruffing, pitcher, 1930-46.
22 Allie Reynolds, pitcher, 1947-54.
24 Tino Martinez, 1st base, 1996-2001, 2005.
30 Mel Stottlemyre, pitcher, 1964-74; coach, 1996-2004.
30 Willie Randolph, 2nd base, 1976-88; coach, 1994-2004.
54 Rich "Goose" Gossage, pitcher, 1978-83, 1989.
Hall-of-Famers: Gomez, Ruffing, Gossage.
So that's 21 players honored. Well, 20: Billy Martin is there for his managing.
Honored in Monument Park, but never wore a number:
Jacob Ruppert, team owner, 1915-39.
Miller Huggins, manager, 1918-29.
Ed Barrow, general manager, 1921-45.
Joe McCarthy, manager, 1931-46.
Mel Allen, broadcaster, 1939-64, 1976-90.
Bob Sheppard, public address announcer, 1951-2007.
George Steinbrenner, team owner, 1973-2010.
You read that right: Joe McCarthy never wore a number, even though he managed in the major leagues as late as the end of the 1950 season. Huggins died in office in 1929, the 1st year that the Yankees wore numbers, but he didn't wear one, either.
Ruppert, Huggins, Barrow and McCarthy are in the Hall of Fame. Allen and Red Barber (with the Yankees, 1954-66, after broadcasting for the Brooklyn Dodgers) were the 1st recipients of the Hall's Ford Frick Award for broadcasters.
Receiving "Monuments," rather than "Plaques": Huggins in 1932, Gehrig in 1941, Ruth in 1949, Mantle in 1996, DiMaggio in 1999, Steinbrenner in 2010. DiMaggio and Mantle had gotten their Plaques together in 1969, and copies were placed on the outfield wall in 1970, before being replaced by Monuments after their respective deaths.
The original DiMaggio and Mantle Plaques are now on display at the Yogi Berra Museum on the campus of Montclair State University, in Little Falls, New Jersey.
Apparently, a Monument is only for the highest of the high, and only after the figure has died. And if Stengel didn't get one, after managing 10 Pennants and 7 World Series wins in 12 years, Jeter and Rivera aren't getting them when they reach that great ballpark in the sky.
Steinbrenner's Monument is the biggest of them all, bigger than the Plaques of Ruppert and Barrow that hung on the outfield wall, along with the Plaque honoring the Papal Mass of Pope Paul VI in 1965. All of these Plaques, and the 3 existing Monuments, were moved to the original Monument Park when the old Stadium was reopened in 1976, after the renovation.
Anyway, that's 28 Yankee figures honored. There are also Plaques honoring non-Yankee Jackie Robinson as modern baseball's 1st black player; Nelson Mandela, for his 1990 rally at Yankee Stadium; the 9/11 victims and rescue workers; the Stonewall Uprising, as a "baseball is for everyone" message; and Plaques donated by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic advocacy organization, honoring the Papal Masses delivered at the old Stadium by Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. So, counting Sabathia, there will be 35 notations.
Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame who played for the Yankees for at least 5 years, or played less than that but helped them win at least 1 Pennant, but are not honored with a retired number or a Plaque in Monument Park:
Clark Griffith, pitcher, 1903-07; manager, 1903-08.
Jack Chesbro, pitcher, 1903-09.
Willie Keeler, right field, 1903-09.
Frank "Home Run" Baker, 3rd base, 1916-22.
1 Earle Combs, center field, 1924-35.
6 Tony Lazzeri, 2nd base, 1926-37.
6 Joe Gordon, 2nd base, 1938-46.
11 Waite Hoyt, pitcher, 1921-30.
12 Herb Pennock, pitcher, 1923-33.
12 Wade Boggs, 3rd base, 1993-97.
17 Enos Slaughter, left field, 1954-59.
21 Joe Sewell, 3rd base, 1931-33.
24 Rickey Henderson, left field, 1985-89.
29 Jim "Catfish" Hunter, pitcher, 1975-79.
31 Dave Winfield, outfield, 1981-90.
31 Tim Raines, left field, 1996-98.
35 Mike Mussina, pitcher, 2001-08.
36 Johnny Mize, 1st base, 1949-53.
In addition, Bucky Harris managed the Yankees to the 1947 World Championship, and Bob Lemon led them to the 1978 World Championship; and Larry MacPhail was the general manager who built the '47 title. But these men are in the Hall of Fame for other reasons. George Weiss was the farm system director from 1932 to 1947, and the general manager from 1948 to 1960. He's in the Hall of Fame, but if the Yankees ever give him a Plaque, they'll have to work around his known racism.
And then there's these guys, who haven't received any of these honors, but should at least be in Monument Park:
Frank Messer, broadcaster, 1968-84.
Bill White, broadcaster, 1971-88.
John Sterling, broadcaster, 1989-2024.
1 Bobby Murcer, center field, 1965-74, (switched to 2) 1979-83; broadcaster, 1983-2008.
2 Herbert "Red" Rolfe, 3rd base, 1934-42.
6 Roy White, left field, 1965-79.
9 Charlie Keller, left field, 1939-49.
9 Graig Nettles, 3rd base, 1973-83.
14 Lou Piniella, outfield, 1974-84; coach, 1984-85; manager, 1986-87, 1988.
15 Tommy Henrich, right field, 1937-50.
22 Jimmy Key, pitcher, 1993-96.
24 Mark Teixeira, 1st base, 2009-16.
25 Joe Girardi, catcher, 1996-99; (switched to 27) manager, 2008-17.
28 Sparky Lyle, pitcher, 1972-78.
33 David Wells, pitcher, 1997-98, 2002-03.
36 David Cone, pitcher, 1995-2000; broadcaster, 2011-present.
55 Hideki Matsui, left field, 2003-09.
You'll notice I did not include:
20 Russell "Bucky" Dent, shortstop, 1977-82.
As much as he contributed to 3 Pennant-winning teams, I didn't want to dilute it that much.
I also did not include:
13 Alex Rodriguez, 3rd base, 2004-16.
22 Roger Clemens, pitcher, 1999-2003, 2007.
25 Jason Giambi, 1st base, 2002-08.
I don't care what the stats say: Nobody in the history of professional sports has embarrassed his team, while playing for them, as much as A-Rod embarrassed the Yankees. And the steroids were only part of it. Giambi is also out, due to steroid reasons. Let the record show, though, that Clemens is not known to have failed a steroid test.
Of this last category, Murcer, Piniella, Lyle, Wells, Cone and Matsui at least received a Yankeeography from the YES Network. Probably the best player not to receive a Yankeeography, due to the passage of time leading to insufficient film footage and insufficient surviving teammates, was Bill Dickey.
So, based on their achievements, what they meant in Yankee culture, and my personal opinion, here's what the levels should be -- keeping in mind, I've listed them in chronological order, not by number; I've demoted Huggins, Steinbrenner, and the Pennant-less Wonder, Donnie Regular Season Baseball; and I haven't included any active players, not even Aaron Judge:
Monuments and Retired Numbers: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle.
Plaques and Retired Numbers: Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Joe Torre.
Plaques, but not Retired Numbers: Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri, Bill Dickey, Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing, Tommy Henrich, Charlie Keller, Allie Reynolds, Billy Martin, Roger Maris, Mel Stottlemyre, Bobby Murcer, Roy White, Sparky Lyle, Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella, Catfish Hunter, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Goose Gossage, Dave Winfield, Bernie Williams, Wade Boggs, Paul O'Neill, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, David Cone, Tino Martinez, Joe Girardi, Mike Mussina, Hideki Matsui, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira.
Plaques, with no number to retire: Jacob Ruppert, Miller Huggins, Ed Barrow, Joe McCarthy, Mel Allen, Bob Sheppard, Frank Messer, Bill White, George Steinbrenner, John Sterling, and the 3 Popes.
Would deserve Plaques if they had won even one Pennant: Clark Griffith, Jack Chesbro, Willie Keeler, Don Mattingly.
Falling just short of Plaque status: Frank Baker, Joe Sewell, Red Rolfe, Joe Gordon, Johnny Mize, Enos Slaughter, Rickey Henderson, Jimmy Key, Tim Raines, Sparky Lyle, David Wells.
Of course, while the Mets have elected Ed Kranepool and Bud Harrelson to their team hall of fame, along with Gary Carter, they haven't retired Carter's Number 8. Even though he won them a World Series, while Mike Piazza, 31, and David Wright, 5, did not.
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