this is the 38th post in a series that shares the cards i have in my retired number mini-collection. you can find the links to the previous posts down at the bottom of this post. if you're eager to learn more right now, you can check out the full list of retired numbers along with what this collection will entail over at my want list site.
you may have noticed that we skipped number 38. that's because it is the first number that has not been retired by any team. so, without further ado, here is the one person for whom number 39 has been retired:
roy campanella (retired by the dodgers in 1972) 2001 topps archives
the dodgers retired campy's number on the same day that they honored jackie robinson and sandy koufax - june 4, 1972. together, they were the first three to have their numbers retired by the franchise, and campy is the last of that trio to be featured in a post. his 2001 topps archives card gloriously reprints his 1957 topps card, showing his number 39 in its red glory on front of his jersey, and we get a glimpse of it on his back, too.
campanella spent his entire post-negro league career with the dodgers, winning three mvp awards and leading the club to five pennants (and their 1955 world series win) in his ten years as a dodger. he did not play for the dodgers after they left brooklyn because he was injured in a car accident in january of 1958 and was paralyzed as a result. he remained a part of the franchise, however, coaching the team during spring training and later joining the team as a member of their community relations department.
eventually, campanella's number was recirculated in los angeles by the dodgers and was worn by a few players, with bob lee in 1967 being the last to wear number 39. campanella's 242 home runs are still fourth on the franchise's all-time leader board, and only mike scioscia, john roseboro, and steve yeager are ahead of him in number of games caught as a dodger - all coming after campanella's career ended. he was elected to the hall of fame in 1969 on his seventh ballot which seems crazy to me.
when i think of 39, in addition to roy campanella, dave parker is the guy who comes to mind. i would expect the pirates at some point to retire that number given how great parker was for that franchise.
i am tracking a few things as we go, even though the information is already available elsewhere.
retired numbers by team (through the 38 posts so far):
yankees - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 20, 21, 23, 32, 37, 42
giants - 3, 4, 11, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 30, 36, 42
pirates - 1, 4, 8, 9, 11, 20, 21, 33, 42
guardians - 3, 5, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 42, 455
red sox - 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14, 26, 27, 34, 42
phillies - 1, 14, 15, 20, 32, 34, 36, 42
cardinals - 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 14, 17, 20, 23, 24, 42, 85
reds - 1, 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 24, 42
braves - 3, 6, 10, 21, 25, 31, 35, 42
astros - 5, 7, 24, 25, 32, 33, 34, 42
mets - 14, 16, 17, 18, 24, 31, 36, 37, 42
orioles - 4, 5, 8, 20, 22, 33, 42
dodgers - 1, 2, 4, 14, 19, 20, 24, 32, 34, 39, 42
twins - 3, 6, 7, 10, 14, 28, 34, 36, 42
white sox - 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 14, 16, 19, 35, 42, 72
brewers - 1, 4, 19, 34, 42
tigers - 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 16, 23, 42
cubs - 10, 14, 23, 26, 31, 42
royals - 5, 10, 20, 42
padres - 6, 19, 31, 35, 42
athletics - 9, 24, 27, 34, 42
angels - 11, 26, 30, 42
expos - 8, 10, 30, 42
rangers - 7, 10, 26, 34, 42
major league baseball - 42
rays - 12, 42, 66
diamondbacks - 20, 42
blue jays - 32, 42
rockies - 17, 33, 42
mariners - 11, 24, 42
nationals - 11, 42
marlins - 42
retired number frequency:
1 - retired by 9 teams
2 - retired by 5 teams
3 - retired by 7 teams
4 - retired by 8 teams
5 - retired by 7 teams
6 - retired by 7 teams
7 - retired by 4 teams
8 - retired by 6 teams (retired by yankees for two players)
9 - retired by 6 teams
10 - retired by 9 teams (retired by expos for two players)
11 - retired by 8 teams
12 - retired by 1 team
13 - retired by 1 team
14 - retired by 10 teams (retired by mets and dodgers for same person)
15 - retired by 2 teams
16 - retired by 4 teams
17 - retired by 3 teams
18 - retired by 3 teams (includes mets who will formally retire the number in 2024)
19 - retired by 5 teams
20 - retired by 11 teams (retired by orioles, reds, and guardians for same person)
21 - retired by 4 teams
22 - retired by 2 teams
23 - retired by 4 teams
24 - retired by 8 teams (retired by giants and mets for same person)
25 - retired by 4 teams
26 - retired by 4 teams
27 - retired by 3 teams
28 - retired by 1 team
29 - retired by 4 teams (retired by twins and angels for same person)
30 - retired by 3 teams
31 - retired by 4 teams (retired by cubs and braves for same person; retired by cubs for two players)
32 - retired by 5 teams
33 - retired by 4 teams
34 - retired by 8 teams (retired by astros and rangers for same person; retired by brewers and a's for same person; retired by a's for two players)
35 - retired by 3 teams
36 - retired by 4 teams
37 - retired by 2 teams (retired by mets and yankees for same person)
39 - retired by 1 team
42 - retired by 30 teams (retired by cardinals and yankees for individuals in addition to jackie robinson)
66 - retired by 1 team
72 - retired by 1 team
85 - retired by 1 team
455 - retired by 1 team
unnumbered players - 12 players recognized by 4 teams
running total of unique hall of famers (including those without numbers): 147
running total of non-hall of famers: 51
Couldn't think of any MLB players with #39... and didn't even realize Campanella wore that number until now. The only athlete I associated with that number was Jeff Friesen (SJ Sharks).
ReplyDeleteWithout doing any research, do you by chance know the biggest name to have worn #38?
ReplyDeletei took a look when preparing this post and i would say it's curt schilling
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