Retired Numbers

Boston's all-time retired numbers

At Fenway Park, the right-field façade is reserved for the legends. That's the spot that showcases all the retired numbers for one of the most storied franchises in all of sports.

At one point, the criteria that the Red Sox had for retiring a number was that the player had to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and have ended his career with Boston.

The retired Red Sox numbers, along with Jackie Robinson's #42 that was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997, are posted on the right field facade in Fenway Park.

Bobby Doerr - #1

  • Played 14 seasons in Majors, all with Red Sox (1937-44, 1946-51), before retiring due to a back injury.
  • Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.
  • Tied for AL lead with Dom DiMaggio in triples in 1950 (11).
  • Led AL in slugging percentage in 1944 (.528).
  • Named The Sporting News AL Player of the Year in 1944.
  • Hit .409 (9-22) in 1946 World Series to lead Red Sox.

Joe Cronin - #4

  • First modern-day player to become a league president.
  • Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956.
  • Compiled .301 average in 20 MLB seasons.
  • Affiliated with Red Sox for 24 seasons as player/manager, manager, and general manager.
  • Leads all Red Sox managers with 1071 wins.
  • Managed Red Sox to AL pennant in 1946.
  • Holds AL record for pinch-hit homee runs in a season, 5 (1943).
  • Became first player to hit pinch-hit home runs in both games of a doubleheader, June 17, 1943 (in a stretch when he hit three three-run pinch-hit home runs in four at-bats).
  • Participated in 12 All-Star Games for AL, six as a player.

Johnny Pesky - #6

  • Signed by the Red Sox in 1940.
  • Officially associated with the Red Sox for 21 years as a player, coach, and manager.
  • Compiled .307 average in 12 MLB seasons.
  • Known as "Mr. Red Sox".

Carl Yastrzemski - #8

  • Named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.
  • Along with Johnny Bench became the 18th and 19th players elected to Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
  • Received 95 percent of Hall of Fame voting, the seventh highest in the history of voting at that time.
  • First Little League player to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
  • Won AL Triple Crown in 1967.
  • Most games lifetime in the AL with 3,308.
  • AL MVP in 1967.
  • Seven-time Gold Glove winner.
  • Tied MLB record with 1.000 fielding percentage in 1977.
  • Selected Outstanding Player of 1970 All-Star Game.
  • Played 167 consecutive errorless games.
  • Only AL player with 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.

Ted Williams - #9

  • Named to starting outfield of Greatest Living Team, 1969.
  • Named MLB Player of Decade for 1950s.
  • Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
  • AL MVP in 1946, 49.
  • Won AL Triple Crown in 1942, 47.
  • Led AL in batting six times.
  • Led AL in home runs four times.
  • Led AL in total bases five times.
  • Led AL in walks eight times.
  • Led AL in slugging percentage nine times.
  • Holds MLB record for most successive times reaching base safely, 16, in Sept. 1957 (2 singles, 4 HR, 9 BB, 1 HBP).
  • Oldest MLB player to win batting title, batting .388 in 1957 at age 39.
  • Won batting title again in 1958 at age 40.
  • Voted Greatest Red Sox Player of all time by fans, 1969 and 1982.
  • Holds MLB rookie records for most walks (107) and RBIs (145).
  • Holds Red Sox record with 17 grand slams.

Jim Rice - #14

  • Debuted August 19, 1974.
  • Named AL Silver Slugger in 1984 and 1985.
  • Named Boston MVP in 1978.
  • Named to eight All-Star teams.
  • Led AL with hits (213) in 1978.
  • Led AL in home runs in 1977 (39), 1978 (46), and 1983 (39).
  • Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Wade Boggs - #26

  • Tenth player to have his number retired by the Red Sox, and first third baseman to receive that honor.
  • First-ballot Hall of Famer, receiving 91.9 percent of the votes. Inducted into Cooperstown on July 31, 2005.
  • An 8-time All-Star during his 11 seasons in Boston from 1982-1992. He started a club-record seven straight All-Star Games from 1986-92.
  • While with the Red Sox, won five batting titles, led the league in on-base percentage six times, earned six Silver Slugger Awards, and recorded at least 200 hits in a franchise-record seven different seasons.
  • His .338 batting average during Red Sox career led all major-league hitters in that span and ranks second to Ted Williams' .344 in club history.
  • His .369 batting average at Fenway Park is the highest in club history, ahead of Ted Williams' .361 (min. 1000 PA).
  • Hit .300 or better in all but one of his 11 seasons with the Red Sox, including a career-best .368, when he won the first of four straight batting titles.
  • Led the league in on-base percentage six times, recording four consecutive seasons of 200 hits and 100 walks, second only to Lou Gehrig (7).

Carlton Fisk - #27

  • Carlton Fisk will always be remembered as the player who hit the historic, 12th-inning, game-winning homer in Fenway Park off Reds pitcher Pat Darcy in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Besides being the hero on MLB's biggest stage in a game that has been referred to as "the greatest World Series game ever played," Fisk had many other memorable highlights during his 11-year career as a member of the Red Sox.
  • Red Sox first draft choice and fourth overall selection in the January 1967 Winter Baseball Amateur Draft.
  • Made his MLB debut on September 18, 1969.
  • Was the first unanimous winner of the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1972 (.293, 22 HR, 61 RBIs). He was also tied for the AL lead with nine triples.
  • Won the 1972 AL Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence.
  • Seven-time All-Star, including four games started. He was voted as a starter five times but was replaced in 1974 due to a knee injury.
  • Was the AL Honorary All-Star Game captain on July 13, 1999 at Fenway Park.
  • Is the all-time Red Sox leader in games caught with 990.
  • Red Sox Hall of Fame Inductee on September 8, 1997.

David Ortiz - #34

  • David Ortiz will be remembered as the greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history.
  • Ortiz hit 541 home runs in his career, 17th all-time.
  • Ortiz led the Red Sox to World Series victories in 2004, 2007, and 2013. He was 20 of 44 (.455) with 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 14 RBIs, 14 runs, and 14 walks in 14 Series games.
  • In 85 career postseason games, Ortiz hit .289 with a .947 OPS. He had 41 extra-base hits and 61 RBIs. His teams won 12 of the 18 series they were in.
  • At the time of his retirement Ortiz owned virtually every career record for a designated hitter. He has the most hits (2,191), doubles (557), home runs (485), RBIs (1,569), walks (1,168), runs (1,254), at-bats (7,581), and games (2,027) at the position.
  • Ortiz is the only Red Sox player since 1918 to win three World Series championships.
  • Ortiz was selected to the All-Star team 10 times, all with the Red Sox. Only Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski, with 18 each, have more in franchise history. Ortiz celebrated by getting a red star with a 10 in the middle tattooed on the back of his left hand.
  • Ortiz had 11 career walkoff home runs, two in the postseason.
  • Ortiz's first career hit came off Marc Pisciotta of the Cubs on Sept. 3, 1997. It was a pinch-hit single. His last career hit was Sept. 30, 2016, off Toronto's Brett Cecil. It was a home run.

Jackie Robinson - #42

  • In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American man to play in the Major Leagues.
  • Number retired throughout baseball in 1997.
  • Played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947-56.
  • From his Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque: "Leading NL batter in 1949. Holds fielding mark for second baseman playing in 150 or more games with .992. Led NL in stolen bases in 1947 and 1949. Most Valuable Player in 1949. Lifetime batting average .311. Joint record holder for most double plays by second baseman, 137 in 1951. Led second baseman in double plays 1949-50-51-52."

Pedro Martinez - #45

  • First pitcher, and first foreign-born player (Dominican Republic), to have his number retired by Red Sox.
  • First-ballot Hall of Famer, receiving 91.1 percent of votes cast. Inducted into Cooperstown on July 26, 2015.
  • Won two Cy Young Awards for Boston and three in his career. A unanimous winner in 1999 and 2000 for the Red Sox.
  • Went 117-37 with a 2.52 ERA in seven seasons with Red Sox.
  • His .760 winning percentage is best in team history.
  • Averaged 11 strikeouts per 9 innings and held opponents to a .206 batting average, both club records.
  • Won pitching's "Triple Crown" in 1999, when he struck out a club-record 313 batters, won 23 games, and posted a 2.07 ERA.
  • His 1.74 ERA in 2000 was the lowest in the AL since 1968 and an incredible 3.17 below the league average 4.91.
  • The last game of his Sox career was his Game 3 win in the 2004 World Series.
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