Retired Numbers
Chicago Cubs retired numbers: honoring legends like Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, and Greg Maddux.
Major League Baseball (MLB) and its participating clubs have retired various uniform numbers over the course of time, ensuring that those numbers are never worn again and thus will always be associated with particular players or managers of note.
Quick Facts
- Total retired numbers
- 6 (including MLB-wide 42)
Lore & Background
The first major leaguer whose number was retired was Lou Gehrig, in July 1939. Ron Santo, upon his number 10 being retired by the Chicago Cubs on the last day of the 2003 regular season, enthusiastically told the Wrigley Field crowd as his #10 flag was hoisted, 'This is my Hall of Fame!' Santo would be inducted into the Hall of Fame in July 2012, nearly two years after his death, after being voted in by the Veterans Committee.
Reader's Guide
The Chicago Cubs have retired number 31 in honor of Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. The retirement occurred in 2009.
Did You Know?
- The first team to permanently adopt uniform numbers was the New York Yankees in 1929.
- By 1937, all major league clubs were required by league rules to issue numbers.
- Three numbers have been retired in honor of people not directly involved on the playing field – all three for team executives.
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