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Red Sox set to retire David Ortiz's number in June
The Boston Red Sox won’t wait long before retiring David Ortiz’s number 34.
According to the Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz will have his number 34 officially retired by the team this coming season on June 23. That is a Friday night game against the Los Angeles Angels. Ortiz announced his retirement last season, and is currently sticking to that decision.
The Red Sox have retired ten numbers in franchise history, and all but one of those players is a Hall of Famer. Ortiz will certainly become a Hall of Famer five years from now, but this is a break from precedent by the team. Players like Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez, Jim Rice, and Carlton Fisk did not have their number retired until after reaching the Hall of Fame. The Red Sox have commonly employed a practice of keeping historic numbers out of circulation. For example, no one has worn Ted Williams’ number since he retired in 1960, but it was not officially retired until 1984, and no one has worn the 21 of Roger Clemens since he left the team in 1996.
Here are the players Ortiz will join on the right field facade:
Ortiz was easily the face of the franchise for the Red Sox during their run of three World Series titles in 2004, 2007, and 2013. He hit 483 home runs in his 14 years in Boston, which is second all-time behind Williams. He also drove in 1,530 runs, which is third in franchise history. With the Red Sox, Ortiz always seemed to deliver in the most crucial playoff moments, and he will always be beloved by Red Sox Nation for his larger-than-life personality and genuine affection for the city itself.
On June 23rd @davidortiz will be immortalized on the right field facade when number 34 is officially retired.
3️⃣4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/fP0MekdSoK— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) January 26, 2017
If there is one player for whom the Red Sox should break from their traditional number-retiring norms, it is David Ortiz. Speculation will run rampant right up until his number is officially hanging up alongside the franchise greats, but seeing Big Papi back on a big-league diamond to swing a bat is a long, long shot.
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