Lets face facts, it could be quite a while before the Yankees decide to even try and retire another number, Jeter maybe the last one we see for a long time. Yes there have been some great players that have played for the New York Yankees, but are they worthy of getting their numbers retired? Jeter is now the 22nd player to have his number retired by the Yankees, and if the team is smart it should be the last one for a good long time. But lets start a bit of a debate shall we. I personally don't think A-Rod or Roger Clemens are getting their numbers retired anytime soon, if at all. Why? The results should be obvious. If your even remotely linked to steroid usage, then no way in hell your getting your number retired by the Yankees. Or any other right thinking franchise for that matter, but that's kinda just my theory on it.
Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez, like Willie Randolph and Mel Stottlemyre and a few others from long-ago eras, got the plaque treatment among the monuments without the additional honor of a number retirement. Hell I can throw a couple of more names out there at you. Hideki Matsui, Mike Mussina and perhaps even Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia might fall into this second-tier category down the line. All those players that were just listed have all had good playing careers in New York, that's for sure. That being said, as good as they all were, they don't quite reach the levels of the players who's numbers are retired that you see at the top of this page.
With that being said, lets take a look at some of the men who's numbers are now out in the Bronx. It will take way too long to go over some of the career highlights of every number that's been retired by the Yankees, so for the purposes of time we will only really look at the single digits that have been retired.
#1 (Retired Aug. 10, 1986) Billy Martin: He's a 4-time world champion, who hit .333 with 19 RBI in 5 Fall Classics. Billy is more honored for 5 stormy stints as Yankee manager (winning the Series in 1977) as well as for being perfect foil to George Steinbrenner. After the ceremony, Martin vowed he would never again manage the Yankees, only to return to the dugout in 1988.
#2 (Retired May 14, 2017) Derek Jeter: The last Yankee single digit number went to great use and an obvious choice to be retired. Jeter was a 14-time All-Star, 5-time world champion, 5 Gold Gloves, team captain, Yankee career leader in hits, doubles, steals and games played> Oh yeah, was also the All-Star Game and World Series MVP. Nobody did it better at Short
#3 (Retired June 13, 1948) Babe Ruth: Put Yankees and baseball on the map> How you ask? Oh you know he just hit 714 homers, 60 homers in 1927, first HR in Yankee Stadium, .342 career average. Died of cancer 2 months after ceremony. Third number retired in baseball after Lou Gehrig (1939) and Carl Hubbell (1944).
#4 (Retired July 4, 1939) Lou Gehrig: The first number retirement in baseball became the most iconic moment in history of the sport. Gehrig played in 2,130 straight games (a record that would later be broken by Cal Ripkin), hit 23 grand slams, drove in a Yankee record 1,995 runs, hit 493 home runs and won 6 World Series. No. 4 wasn’t technically retired until Jan. 6 1940 when team president Ed Barrow announced it would never be worn again.
#5 (Retired April 18, 1952) Joe DiMaggio: Yankee Clipper’s No. 5 was retired before the home opener in 1952, 6 months after his final game. Jolting Joe was an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons, 3-time AL MVP, .325 career average, 56-game hitting streak in 1941, nine-time world champion.
#6 (Retired Aug 23, 2014) Joe Torre: Made playoffs each of 12 Yankee seasons running the team, winning 4 World Series, 6 AL pennants, and 10 division crowns. His 1,173 wins rank second only to Joe McCarthy’s 1,460 as a manager of the Yanks. Joe wore 15 and 9 during All-Star playing career but both were retired by Yankees, so he switched to six and made it his own.
#7 (Retired June 8, 1969) Mickey Mantle: Greatest switch-hitter in baseball history, there's not even a debate. Mick was a .298 lifetime hitter, a man who smacked 536 homers, was a 3-time AL MVP, 16-time All-Star, and won the Triple Crown in 1956,. He finished his career as a 7-time world champion. Wore No. 6 in 1951 until Cliff Mapes was traded to the Browns on July 31.
#8, Yogi Berra, (Retired July 22, 1972) and Bill Dickey (Retired July 22, 1972) Dickey was a Hall of Fame catcher was 8-time world champion, 11-time All-Star, .313 career average. As a Yankee coach (switching to No. 33), he won 6 more rings and is credited with molding Yogi Berra and Elston Howard into top catchers. Yogi was a 3-time AL MVP, 10-time world champion, 16-time All-Star, 358 home runs, 1,430 RBI. Caught 3 no-hitters. Missed the ceremony on Yankee Old-Timers Day due to managing the Mets in San Francisco.
#9 (Retired July 22, 1984) Roger Maris: Belted historic 61 homers in 1961, won back-to-back AL MVP awards, hit 5 World Series homers and won 2 titles with Yankees. Hit 203 homers in seven Yankee seasons. Died just 18 months after ceremony.
So that's what just some of the numbers now look like in the Bronx!
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