The Wrong Number To Retire
By Paul Semendinger
October 2026
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NOTE - This article was written for the IBWAA and appeared in its newsletter, Here's The Pitch, on September 26, 2026.
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This article is not a discussion of whether or not the New York Yankees have retired too many uniform numbers. They have. We don't need to have that argument or discussion. It is what it is. Even still, though, the Yankees feel compelled to retire yet another uniform number.
Since they will be retiring a number, let's take a look at which player most deserves this honor.
For the discussion today, we will focus on pitchers since the number the Yankees will retire belonged to a pitcher.
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Imagine being tasked with choosing to retire a uniform number for a former player. Of the following pitchers, which one would you pick?
Pitcher A
Hall of Famer
Years as a Yankee: 13
NYY World Series Appearances: 5
NYY World Championships: 5
NYY World Series Win/Loss Record: 6-0
NYY Regular Season Record: 189-101, 3.34
NYY ERA+: 125
NYY 20 Win Seasons: 4
WAR as a Yankee: 43.4
Pitcher B
Hall of Famer
Years as a Yankee: 15
NYY World Series Appearances: 7
NYY World Championships: 6
World Series Win/Loss Record: 7-2
NYY Regular Season Record: 231-124, 3.47
NYY ERA+: 119
NYY 20 Win Seasons: 4
WAR as a Yankee: 46.5
Pitcher C
Hall of Famer
Years as a Yankee: 11
NYY World Series Appearances: 4
NYY World Championships: 3
NYY World Series Win/Loss Record: 5-0
NYY Regular Season Record: 162-90, 3.54
NYY ERA+: 114
NYY 20 Win Seasons: 2
WAR as a Yankee: 33.9
Pitcher D
Hall of Famer
Years as a Yankee: 10
NYY World Series Appearances: 7
NYY World Championships: 3
NYY World Series Win/Loss Record: 6-4
NYY Regular Season Record: 157-98, 3.48
NYY ERA+: 115
NYY 20 Win Seasons: 2
WAR as a Yankee: 36.3
Pitcher E
Hall of Famer
Years as a Yankee: 11
NYY World Series Appearances: 1
NYY World Championships: 1
NYY World Series Win/Loss Record: 0-1
NYY Regular Season Record: 134-88, 3.81
NYY ERA+: 112
NYY 20 Win Seasons: 1
WAR as a Yankee: 29.4
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It is abundantly clear that of these pitchers, all greats, this, again, is not a discussion over the greatness of these pitchers, the least accomplished of them is Pitcher E:
Pitcher E is tied for third in years as a Yankee.
Pitcher E was in the fewest World Series.
Pitcher E never was a winning pitcher in a World Series game.
Pitcher E won the fewest regular season games.
Pitcher E had the highest regular season ERA.
Pitcher E had the fewest 20-win seasons
Pitcher E had the lowest ERA+
Pitcher E had the lowest WAR
And yet, Pitcher E, of all these very successful pitchers, is the one who will have his number retired.
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Let me now cut to the chase:
Pitcher A was Lefty Gomez. His number is not retired by the Yankees.
Pitcher B was Red Ruffing. His number is not retired by the Yankees.
Pitcher C was Herb Pennock. His number is not retired by the Yankees.
Pitcher D was Waite Hoyt. His number is not retired by the Yankees
Pitcher E was C.C. Sabathia. His number is being retired.
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C.C. Sabathia was a great pitcher. His 2009 regular season helped propel the Yankees to their last World Championship. If the Yankees with to honor him, I understand. He should be honored. C.C. was a fan favorite. I get it.
But, when the Yankees decide to honor players with retired numbers and monuments in Monument Park, they do a terrible job of honoring their great history.
The Yankees suffer from recency bias. And this is a problem.
Hank Bauer was a great Yankees right fielder. His number is not retired. Paul O'Neill was a great Yankees right fielder. His number is retired. I have demonstrated in other articles that Hank Bauer was the better player. Yet Bauer is not recognized by the team with a monument.
When the Yankees focus only on their most recent players and afford them these lifetime honors, they are doing a disservice to the greats of the past who are all-but-forgotten about and, in a very real way, disrespected.
The purpose of being honored with a monument and/or a retired number is so that the player will be remembered throughout history.
C.C. Sabathia will now be remembered thusly by the Yankees.
The other four Hall of Fame pitchers, not so much. At this point, not at all. And that's just not right nor fair.
And here is crux of the matter. There are no rules, timelines, guidelines, or any barriers that prevent the Yankees from also honoring the other pitchers on this list - and the other players who the team has failed to offer their greatest respect to. The Yankees could retire Lefty Gomez's number 11 right now. The only thing preventing them from this is themselves.
If the Yankees wish to honor their greats, they need to honor all their greats - especially the ones who were greater than the great players they are honoring or have already honored.
History demands that the great Yankees from their entire history, not just the most recent ones, also receive their due.
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Dr. Paul Semendinger's newest book on the Yankees, The Greatest New York Yankees By Uniform Number, has received outstanding reviews.
F. None of the the Above
Number retirement should be for the greatest of the greats, "inner-circle" Hall of Famers. The only Yankee pitchers worthy of number retirement are Whitey Ford and Mariano Rivera.