Red Sox Announce Date for David Ortiz’s Number Retirement Ceremony

Photo by Keith Allison on Flickr/Creative Commons

It was only a matter of time, really.

The Red Sox announced plans to retire David Ortiz’s number in a ceremony at Fenway Park next season. His No. 34 will join the likes of Carl Yastrzemski and Ted Williams on the right field facade before a June 23 matchup against the Los Angeles Angels.

Ortiz retired at the end of last season, following a career that spanned two decades. A three-time World Series champion with the Sox, Ortiz sits at 17th on the MLB all-time home run list with 541 dingers. His 54 home runs in 2006 remains the Red Sox single-season record.

If Dr. Charles Steinberg and the rest of the Fenway brass wheeled out Bobby Orr, Paul Pierce, Troy Brown, and a slew of retired Red Sox for Derek Jeter’s farewell ceremony, one can only imagine what to expect when Big Papi returns to America’s most beloved ballpark this summer.