September 23, 2008

Red Sox To Retire Pesky's #6

Update: It looks like the ceremony will be held Friday night.

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The Herald's Steve Buckley reports that a team source told him
meetings were held last night and again this morning to address how and when a player's number should be retired. The team plans to hold a press conference today or tomorrow to announce the change in policy, with all signs pointing to the dramatic news that Pesky's uniform No. 6 will be retired before the end of the regular season.
Noting that this Saturday is Pesky's 89th birthday, Buckley thinks a possible ceremony could take place before that afternoon's nationally-televised game against the Yankees.

The Globe confirms it:
A team source confirmed to the Globe that the Red Sox will retire Johnny Pesky's No. 6 this weekend, during the final series of the year with the New York Yankees. The official announcement could come as early as today.
It would be the sixth number the Red Sox have retired, after Bobby Doerr (1), Joe Cronin (4), Carl Yastrzemski (8), Ted Williams (9) and Carlton Fisk (27). #42 was also retired in 1997.

Pesky played seven full seasons with the Red Sox -- he lost what would have been his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seasons to World War II -- before being traded to Detroit in June 1952. He returned to manage the team in 1963 and 1964, and also worked as a broadcaster, coach, and special consultant. Pesky wore #22 when he managed the Red Sox and #35 when he was a coach in the 1970s.

#6:
Hal Rynes          1931
Wally Dashiell 1932
Bucky Walters 1933
Dusty Cooke 1934
Carl Reynolds 1935
Joe Cronin 1936
Eric McNair 1937-38
Boze Berger 1939
Marv Owen 1940
Odell Hale 1941
Johnny Pesky 1942
Roy Partee 1943-44
Skeeter Newsome 1945
Johnny Pesky 1946-52
Johnny Lipon 1952-53
Harry Agganis 1954-55
Mickey Vernon 1956-57
Vic Wertz 1959-61
Lu Clinton 1962-64
Lee Thomas 1964-65
Rico Petrocelli 1966-76
Johnny Pesky 1981-84 (COACH)
Bill Buckner 1985-87
Rick Cerone 1988-89
Tony Pena 1990-93
Damon Berryhill 1994
Chris Donnels 1995
Gary Gaetti 2000

2 comments:

Jere said...

And I've got tickets for Saturday! Sweeeet.... thanks for the news.

Jere said...

Had a bad feeling about stupid media fuckers saying "likely" Saturday. Anybody wanna trade Friday tix for Saturday?