Retired Numbers

As the oldest franchise in professional baseball, the Reds have one of the more storied histories in the game. The club also enjoyed one of the more profound dynasties in recent history.

Several of the team's all-time greats have been given the great honor of having their number retired by the club. Most of those select few are also enshrined in Cooperstown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. But not everybody. Of the 10 numbers retired, not including Jackie Robinson, four are not Hall of Famers.

"There's no set rule on that," said Rick Walls, who serves as the executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame adjacent to Great American Ball Park. "Certainly the benchmark is being in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But you take each case and consider the merits of the particular person and go from there."

#42 - Jackie Robinson

Born: 1/31/1919
Birthplace: Cairo, GA
Died: 10/24/1972
Number Retired: 1997

The first black player in the Major Leagues, Jackie Robinson played for the Dodgers from 1947-56. The 6-time All-Star was National League Rookie of the Year in 1947 and NL Most Valuable Player in 1949. In 1997, the 50th anniversary of his debut, every team in baseball retired his number. The last Major League player to wear #42 was Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, who retired following the 2013 season.

#1 - Fred Hutchinson

Born: 8/12/1919
Birthplace: Seattle, WA
Died: 11/12/1964
Number Retired: 1965

Fred Hutchinson's 443 victories and .544 winning percentage as Reds manager still rank among the club's all-time best.The Reds won at least 90 games in 3 of his 6 seasons and in 1961 took the National League pennant. But the joy of a first-place finish was matched only 3 years later by the sadness of Hutch's death. The courage, class and determination Fred exemplified all his life were all the more evident during his battle with cancer. Hutch stepped down as Reds manager in 1964, and he died that November. The following year, Hutch's No. 1 became the first uniform jersey number in Reds history to be retired. Today, Fred Hutchinson's legacy lives on in the world renowned Cancer Research Center that bears his name, and in The Hutch Award. It is given annually to a Major League ballplayer who "best exemplifies the character and fighting spirit of the late Fred Hutchinson...who overcomes any form of adversity." Past Reds winners include Ray Knight, Ron Oester, Eric Davis, Bobby Tolan, Johnny Bench and Sean Casey.

#5 - Johnny Bench

Born: 12/7/1947
Birthplace: Oklahoma City, OK
Number Retired: 8/11/1984

Cincinnati's uniform No. 5 belongs to perhaps the greatest catcher ever to play in the Major Leagues. Johnny Bench ended his 17-year storied career in 1983 after earning a pair of Most Valuable Player Awards, 10 Gold Gloves and 14 All-Star Game selections. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Bench began his career by winning the 1968 National League Rookie of the Year Award. He ended his career with a .267 batting average and 389 homers, including 327 as a catcher that at the time stood as a record for NL catchers. On the Reds' all-time batting list, Bench ranks first in homers and RBI (1,376), second in extra-base hits (794) and total bases (3,644), fourth in runs scored (1,091) and doubles (381) and fifth in hits (2,048). He appeared in 22 National League Championship Series games and 23 World Series games. Bench earned World Series MVP honors in 1976, when the Reds swept the New York Yankees. He twice led the league in home runs (40 in 1972, 45 in 1970) and 3 times led the NL in RBI (148 in 1970, 125 in 1972, 129 in 1974).

#8 - Joe Morgan

Born: 9/19/1943
Birthplace: Bonham, Texas
Died: 10/11/2020
Number Retired: 8/11/1984

A ten-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove second baseman, Joe Morgan was elected to the Reds Hall of Fame in 1987 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. His uniform #8 was retired by the Reds in 1998.

#10 - Sparky Anderson

Born: 2/22/1934
Birthplace: Bridgewater, SD
Died: 11/4/2010
Number Retired: 5/28/2005

George "Sparky" Anderson was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame on June 3, 2000 and into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in July of that summer. He was named National League Manager of the Year in 1972 and '75 by The Associated Press and American League Manager of the Year in 1984 and '87 by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He went 2,194-1,834 (.545) in 26 Major League seasons with the Reds and Tigers. From 1970-78 he led the legendary Big Red Machine to an 863-586 record (.596), 5 NL West Division titles, 4 pennants and 2 World Series championships. His '75 and '76 teams combined to go 210-114 (.629) and became the first NL franchise in 54 years to win consecutive world championships. He is the Reds' all-time leader in victories (863) and winning percentage (.596). When he won the 1984 World Series with the Tigers, Anderson became the first of only 2 managers ever to win a World Series in both leagues (Tony LaRussa, 1989 A's & 2006 Cardinals). Anderson's 2,194 career victories during his 26 Major League seasons is the sixth-highest total in history behind Connie Mack (3,731), John McGraw (2,763), Tony LaRussa (2,728), Bobby Cox (2,504) and Joe Torre (2,326). He is 1 of only 7 managers to participate in 4,000 games (4,030), a group that includes Mack (7,755), LaRussa (5,097), McGraw (4,769), Cox (4,508), Bucky Harris (4,410), and Torre (4,329).

#11 - Barry Larkin

Born: 4/28/1964
Birthplace: Cincinnati, OH
Number Retired: 8/25/2012

Barry Larkin was a 12-time National League All-Star, 5 times was voted to the All-Star Game's starting lineup, 9 times was named to The Sporting News' NL All-Star Team and 3 times was named to The Associated Press' Major League All-Star Team. In 1995 he was the National League's Most Valuable Player and 4 times was the Reds' regularseason Most Valuable Player, including their 1990 World Series championship season. He won 9 Louisville Silver Slugger Awards and 3 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. The Reds' captain from 1997 through his final season in 2004, Larkin finished his 19-year career with a batting average of .295 in 2,180 games and 9 times hit at least .300. He is the only shortstop in Major League history with at least 2,300 hits, 190 home runs and 370 stolen bases. In 1996 he became the first shortstop in Major League history to produce 30 homers and 30 steals in the same season. In 2008 he was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame, and in 2012 Larkin became the third player and fifth Greater Cincinnati native inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown but the first voted in by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

#13 - David Concepcion

Born: 6/17/1948
Birthplace: Ocumare de la Costa, VZ
Number Retired: 8/25/2007

As the starting shortstop on the Big Red Machine, David Concepcion was the defensive anchor of a club that from 1970-78 went 863-586 (.596) and won 5 National League West Division titles, 4 pennants and 2 World Series championships. The '75 and '76 Reds combined to go 210-114 (.629) and became the NL's first franchise in 54 years to win consecutive World Series titles. Concepcion was the club's MVP in 1981, was named team captain in 1983, and he was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2000. With 8,723 at bats in 2,488 games Concepcion ranks second in club history in both categories behind Pete Rose. Since 1900, he ranks among the franchise's all-time leaders in hits (2,326; 3rd), doubles (389; 3rd), stolen bases (321; 3rd), runs scored (993; 5th), total bases (3,114; 5th) and RBI (950; 6th). He was a 9-time National League All-Star, fourth-most in club history (Bench 14, Rose 13, Larkin 12), and his 5 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards are second only to Bench's 10 Gold Gloves. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 1982 All-Star Game, 3 times was a The Sporting News All-Star and twice won Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards (1981, 1982).

#14 - Pete Rose

Born: 4/14/1941
Birthplace: Cincinnati, OH
Number Retired: 6/26/2016

In a weekend celebration in June 2016, Pete Rose was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame while his 14 became the 11th uniform number to be retired by the club. The Cincinnati native played for the Reds from 1963-1978 and again from 1984-86 and still ranks as the franchise's all-time leader in games (2,722), plate appearances (12,344), runs (1,741), hits (3,358), singles (2,490), doubles (601), total bases (4,645) and walks (1,210). His 4,256 career hits are the most in Major League history. Rose was a 17-time National League All-Star, including 13 times while playing for Cincinnati. He was the 1963 Rookie of the Year, 1973 Most Valuable Player, a 3-time batting champion and 2-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. In 1975 and 1976, Rose captained the Big Red Machine to World Series championships over the Yankees and Red Sox and in '76 was named the Fall Classic's MVP. His 44-game hitting streak in 1978 still stands as the third-longest in Major League history.

#18 - Ted Kluszewski

Born: 9/10/1924
Birthplace: Argo, IL
Died: 3/29/1988
Number Retired: 7/18/1998

A 4-time All-Star, Ted Kluszewski was elected to the Reds' Hall of Fame in 1962. Following an 11-year career with the Reds, he was noted as the greatest left-handed slugger and one of the best fielding first basemen in club history. From 1947-57, Big Klu hit 251 homers for the Reds, including 49 in 1954 to lead the National League. His 141 RBI that season also led the league, and both tallies are club records for left-handers. Kluszewski also led the National League in fielding for 5 straight seasons from 1951-55. He finished his 15-year big league career with a .298 batting average, 279 homers and 1,028 RBI while playing for the Reds, Pirates, White Sox and Angels. Kluszewski also served the Reds as a coach from 1970-78.

#20 - Frank Robinson

Born: 8/31/1935
Birthplace: Beaumont, TX
Died: 2/7/2019
Number Retired: 5/22/1998

Frank Robinson, a 12-time All-Star, was elected to the Reds Hall of Fame in 1978 and to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. He spent the first 10 of his 21 Major League seasons in a Reds uniform. While playing for Cincinnati from 1956-65, Robinson belted 30 or more homers in 7 of his 10 seasons, including a rookie record 38 while winning the National League's Rookie of the Year Award in 1956. In 1961 Robinson was named the National League's Most Valuable Player after hitting .323 with 37 homers and 124 RBI while helping guide the Reds to their first World Series appearance in 21 years. Following the 1965 season, Robinson was traded to the Baltimore Orioles and went on to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1966 after winning the Triple Crown with a .316 average, 49 homers and 122 RBI. Robinson played for the Reds, Orioles, Dodgers, Angels and Indians and ranks among baseball's all-time leaders with 586 home runs; 5,373 total bases; 1,829 runs; 1,812 RBI; 2,808 games; 10,006 at-bats; 2,943 hits; and 528 doubles.

#24 - Tony Perez

Born: 5/14/1942
Birthplace: Camaguey, Cuba
Number Retired: 5/27/2000

The heart and soul of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine World Series championship teams of 1975 and 1976, Tony Perez was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in August 1998 and into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2000. He was the third member of the Big Red Machine elected to the Cooperstown Hall, joining catcher Johnny Bench (1989) and second baseman Joe Morgan (1990). A 7-time All-Star and MVP of the 1967 All-Star Game, Perez appeared in 5 World Series and 6 League Championship Series. His 1,652 RBI are the second-most among players from Latin America, and he ranks among baseball's all-time leaders in RBI, games, at-bats, doubles, hits and home runs. He ranks among the Reds all-time leaders in RBI (1192, 2nd), home runs (287, 3rd), total bases (3246, 4th), games (1948, 5th), at-bats (6846, 5th), hits (1934, 5th), extrabase hits (682, 5th) and doubles (339, 6th). He played 23 seasons from 1964-86 for the Reds, Expos, Red Sox and Phillies. During the 10-year span from 1967-76 he led all Major Leaguers with 1,028 RBI.