# 5; # 23; & # 25…AND NOT IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
Your Boston Red Sox, the Olde Towne Team playing in John Updike’s “lyric little bandbox” otherwise known as Fenway Park circa 1912, boasts one of baseball’s richest histories. Boston is all about tradition and history, and the indefatigable Red Sox do not disappoint. From winning the first World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1903 and four more by 1918; to the “Curse of the Bambino”; to Bucky “F — king” Dent in 1978; to World Series prized moments (and appearances) such as Enos Slaughter’s “mad dash” in 1946, the “Impossible Dream” team of 1967, Fisk’s home run in ’75 and Buckner’s error in 1986; and seemingly coming full circle as the first team to win three World Series trophies in the 21st. century (2004; 2007 & 2013), there has been no shortage of interest or excitement. Quite to the contrary. The Red Sox are so tightly woven into the fabric of Boston that the tapestry puckers; it defies description and perhaps logic. And with such unbridled passion comes the freshest fodder for spirited debate on many levels.
Like the subject of retired numbers for example.
Bobby Doerr- #1. Joe Cronin- #4. Johnny Pesky- #6. Carl Yastrzemski- #8. Ted Williams- #9. Jim Rice- #14. Wade Boggs- #26. Carlton Fisk- #27. David Ortiz- #34. Jackie Robinson- #42. Pedro Martinez- #45.
Teddy Ballgame and Cronin were first in line; they had their numbers retired on May 29, 1984. Doerr’s #1 was next, retired on May 21, 1988. Then Yaz was so honored on August 6, 1989. Next up: Jackie Robinson (and throughout MLB) — April 15, 1997; Fisk on September 4, 2000; Pesky — September 23, 2008; Rice — July 28, 2009; Pedro — July 28, 2015; Boggs — May 26, 2016; and Papi — June 23, 2017. Of chronological and historical interest, the first four Red Sox numbers to be retired and displayed on the right-field facade at Fenway Park were 9, 4, 1, and 8. To those bedeviled by the Red Sox suffocating and haunting eighty-six year curse between World Series titles, these numbers could read as a date: 9/4/18 which marked the eve of the first game of the 1918 Fall Classic, the last championship the club won before 2004. That’s as bizarre as the Morse Code appearing vertically on the white stripes that separate the columns of the American League Scores section of the antiquated manual scoreboard which adorns the base of the 37-foot-high Green Monster in left field. (The Morse Code message in question are the initials of former owners Thomas A. Yawkey and his wife, Jean R. Yawkey).
At one time the Red Sox mandated that three official conditions be fulfilled in order to ensure a player’s jersey number retirement. Specifically:
1.) Election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame;
2.) At least 10 years played with the Red Sox; &
3.) Finished his career with club.
These requirements were first revisited and then relaxed when Carlton Fisk was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Having played the second half of his stellar career with the Chicago White Sox, then-General Manager Dan Duquette was instructed to hire Fisk for one day as a special assistant to allow him to technically finish his career with the Red Sox. An “exception” was also made in the case of Sox lifer Johnny Pesky, who neither played ten years for the club nor was elected to the Hall of Fame. Red Sox ownership cited “…[the] versatility of his contributions — on the field, off the field [and] in the dugout…” including as a manager, scout and special instructor and decided that the honor had been well-earned. Pesky’s resume over a 57-year association with the organization was unparalleled. He was a minor league player (1940–1941); major league player (1942, 1946–1952); minor league manager (1961–1962, 1990); major league manager (1963–1964, 1980); broadcaster (1969–1974); major league coach (1975–1984); and special instructor/assistant general manager (1985–2012).
The official criteria fell by the wayside for good in 2015 when it was Pedro’s turn. He had spent only seven of his eighteen big league seasons in Boston but that was enough for Sox principal owner John Henry. Said he, “To be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility speaks volumes regarding Pedro’s outstanding career, and is a testament to the respect and admiration so many in baseball have for him.” In the case of Ortiz it was another no-brainer. In June of 2017, fewer than eight months after he played his last game for the club in an illustrious career, #34 was retired. The only Red Sox player ever to have won three World Series championships since the issuance of jersey numbers in 1931, Papi will not be eligible for election to the Hall of Fame until 2022.
While not officially retired, the Red Sox have declined to issue several numbers since the departure of the prominent ballplayers who sported them, most notably Roger Clemens’ #21; Jason Varitek’s #33; and Tim Wakefield’s #49.
Curiously, other numbers made famous by those who wore them remain in circulation.
Tony Conigliaro’s #25 should represent a white-hot issue. It is unfathomable that since his last full season in Boston (1970) no fewer than 16 players, along with a coach and a manager have been allowed to wear his number. A local product with matinee-idol good looks, “Tony C” broke into the bigs in 1964 at nineteen and in ’65 he led the American League in home runs with 32, becoming the youngest to do so in AL history. By the storybook 1967 “Impossible Dream” campaign he had made the All-Star team and already hit 100 career dingers, the youngest to attain that milestone in American League annals. He achieved that goal faster than any American Leaguer ever had; he was 22. (Only the New York Giants’ Mel Ott — a major leaguer at age 17 — was younger than Conigliaro when he hit his 100th. HR).
Conigliaro’s life changed on the night of August 18, 1967 when the Angels’ Jack Hamilton beaned him at Fenway Park. Hamilton hit “Conig” on his left cheekbone which suffered a linear fracture. His jaw was dislocated and severe damage was done to his left retina. As batting helmets back in the day were not outfitted with protective ear flaps, it’s a wonder that Conigliaro wasn’t killed. He lived by the grace of God, made an admirable comeback but was never the same, forced into retirement in 1975 at 30 after a brief return to the Red Sox. He died on February 24, 1990 at the age of 45.
The Tony Conigliaro Award, instituted in 1990 by the Red Sox and annually presented by the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) honors the memory of Tony Conigliaro and salutes the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best “overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Conigliaro.” Past winners include Jim Eisenreich, Dickie Thon, Jim Abbott, Curtis Pride, Eric Davis, Bret Saberhagen, Jon Lester, Chad Bettis and 2018 honoree Stephen Piscotty among many others.
Nomar Garciaparra. “Nomah.” #5. The American League Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger Award Winner in 1997; a two-time AL Batting Champion (1999, 2000); a five-time All-Star while with the Red Sox (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003) over parts of nine campaigns (1996–2004); and a 2014 inductee of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. A lifetime .313 hitter, Garciaparra had the highest single-season batting average by a right-handed batter in the post-war era, at .372 in 2000. (He hit a robust .357 in 1999). He became the first right-handed hitter to win the AL Batting Title in consecutive seasons since Joe DiMaggio when he accomplished the feat in 1999 and 2000. And he is one of thirteen players in MLB history to hit two grand slams in a game and the only player to do it at home (May 10, 1999 at Fenway Park).
What could possibly be the hold-up in taking his #5 out of circulation and ceremoniously retiring it? No other Red Sox player (or coach) should ever wear his jersey, and the fact that many have is a travesty. (No disrespect to Rocco Baldelli; Nick Punto; Jonny Gomes; Allen Craig; and Tzu-Wei Lin). A stubborn wrist injury which many believed altered the trajectory of his career undid a man who was bound for Cooperstown; in fact, when Scott Boras conducted a statistical study of Garciaparra for his own client then, ARod, the career numbers projected for Nomar at age 40 looked like this: 513 HRs; 3,581 hits; and a .336 BA.
And then there was #23. Luis Clemente Tiant Vega. Luis Tiant. “El Tiante.” “Looie.” Luis Tiant was arguably the most popular and beloved Red Sox player among both his teammates and the fans, of all time; he was and remains an idol in Boston. In a nineteen-year major league career during which he compiled a record of 229–172 with an ERA of 3.30 and 2,416 Ks, not to mention 187 complete games and 49 shutouts in 3,486.1 innings pitched, a compelling argument could be made — at this keyboard anyway — that he belongs in Cooperstown.
With the Sox (1971–1978) he was the quintessential big-game starting pitcher and a workhorse nonpareil. (How about 14 ⅓ innings pitched and 165+ pitches against the Angels June 14, 1974 in a 4–3 15-inning loss?). He was a 20-game-winner twice (20 in 1973; and 22 in 1974). A 1997 inductee of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, Tiant was a three-time All-Star — twice while with Boston — and a two-time AL ERA leader (1.60 in 1968 with Cleveland; 1.91 in 1972 with Boston). He was superb in the 1975 postseason, defeating the three-time defending World Series champion Oakland A’s in the ALCS on the way to Game 1 and Game 4 (173 pitches thrown) WS complete-game victories against Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine.” He had a no-decision in Game 6, called by many the greatest game ever played (Fisk 12th. inning dramatic walk-off HR). As of November 2017 Luis Tiant was 41st. all-time in strikeouts, 24th. in shutouts, 40th. in Wins Above Replacement and 49th. in Win Probability Added.
Tony Conigliaro, Luis Tiant and Nomar Garciaparra in that order should have their jersey numbers retired and recognized on the hallowed Fenway facade alongside those of their Red Sox (and baseball) brethren. It is mystifying that this has not yet happened and it is clear that it should. Exceptions needn’t be made nor should rules be skirted. Not necessary. These men had brilliant Red Sox careers and did honor to the uniform they wore in Boston.
It’s high time that the Boston Red Sox returned the favor and rightfully honored them.
