Giants to retire Kent's No. 21 during HOF summer celebration

A big summer is in store for Jeff Kent.

On July 26, the former Giants second baseman will head to Cooperstown, N.Y., where he’ll be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A month later, he’ll travel to San Francisco for another special honor.

The Giants announced Thursday that they plan to retire Kent’s No. 21 as part of a Hall of Fame celebration at Oracle Park on Aug. 29. There will be a special giveaway to commemorate the event, with the first 21,000 fans receiving a custom National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee replica ring.

Kent will become the 14th Giant to be honored with a number retirement, joining Christy Mathewson (no number), John McGraw (no number), Bill Terry (No. 3), Mel Ott (No. 4), Carl Hubbell (No. 11), Monte Irvin (No. 20), Will Clark (No. 22), Willie Mays (No. 24), Barry Bonds (No. 25), Juan Marichal (No. 27), Orlando Cepeda (No. 30), Gaylord Perry (No. 36) and Willie McCovey (No. 44). San Francisco also joined every team in Major League Baseball in retiring No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1997.

Kent played for six teams over his 17-year career in the big leagues, but he’s implied that he would like to go into the Hall of Fame as a Giant -- a fitting choice considering he did his best work in San Francisco.

Acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent the popular Matt Williams to Cleveland in 1996, Kent slashed .297/.368/.535 and averaged 29 home runs and 115 RBIs over his six seasons with the Giants. He earned three consecutive All-Star selections from 1999-2001 and edged teammate Barry Bonds for the National League MVP Award in 2000, when he hit .334/.424/.596 with 33 homers, 125 RBIs and 7.2 WAR, all career bests.

Kent hit 351 of his 377 career home runs as a second baseman, making him the all-time leader at the position. He earned a spot in the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 via the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee last month.