Dodgers' all-time retired numbers
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LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers don't have a written "criteria" for retiring uniform numbers. But with one notable exception, each of the franchise's retired numbers was worn by a player who played a majority of his career with the Dodgers and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The one exception is longtime Dodger Jim Gilliam, who was the club's first-base coach when he died at age 49 just before the start of the 1978 World Series. His number was immediately retired.
Here are the 11 Dodgers players or coaches who have had their numbers retired.
Pee Wee Reese, SS: No. 1
Number retired: July 1, 1984
Harold "Pee Wee" Reese played 16 seasons at shortstop for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1940-42, '46-58) and was a member of seven Brooklyn pennant-winning teams, including the World Series championship club of '55. A 10-time National League All-Star, Reese appeared in more games at shortstop (2,014) than any player in franchise history and is also the Dodgers' all-time leader in runs scored (1,338) and walks (1,210). His leadership qualities were recognized by manager Walter Alston, who appointed "The Little Colonel" as team captain. Reese was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in '84.
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Tommy Lasorda, Manager: No. 2
Number retired: Aug. 15, 1997
Tommy Lasorda had a tough act to follow when he succeeded future Hall of Famer Walter Alston as Dodgers manager with four games left in the 1976 season. But, like Alston, Lasorda went on to enjoy a lengthy and highly successful tenure at the helm. Piloting the Dodgers until midway through the '96 campaign, he racked up 1,599 victories to rank 13th on the all-time Major League managerial list at the time of his retirement -- winning two World Series titles ('81 and '88), four NL pennants and eight division titles. Prior to joining the big league staff as a coach in 1973, he enjoyed a successful eight-year stint as a Minor League manager, helping the development of several future Dodgers stars. The former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in '97.
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Duke Snider, CF: No. 4
Number retired: July 6, 1980
The "Duke of Flatbush" was among the game's most feared hitters during his 16 seasons with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1947-62), playing on a pair of World Series championship teams ('55 and '59) and in six World Series overall. The eight-time All-Star center fielder ranks as the franchise's career leader in home runs (389) and RBIs (1,271), and during the '50s he topped all Major Leaguers with 326 homers and 1,031 RBIs. He slugged four home runs in both the '52 and '55 World Series and holds the Brooklyn Dodgers single-season mark of 43 homers, which led the NL in '56. His 136 RBIs in '55 topped the Majors. Snider was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in '80.
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Jim Gilliam, Coach: No. 19
Number retired: Oct. 10, 1978
Junior Gilliam played his entire 14-year Major League career (1953-66) in a Dodgers uniform, both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, contributing to four World Championship clubs ('55, '59, '63 and '65) and seven pennant winners. He appeared in 1,956 games, which ranks fifth on the franchise's all-time games-played list, seeing action at second base, third base and in the outfield. In '53, he was selected as the NL Rookie of the Year. Following his playing career, the two-time All-Star served as a Dodgers coach until his untimely death at 49 prior to the start of the '78 World Series. His number was retired immediately and the Dodgers wore a commemorative patch on their sleeve in his honor.
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Don Sutton, P: No. 20
Number retired: Aug. 14, 1998
The durable right-hander spent 16 of his 23 Major League seasons with the Dodgers and more than made his mark in team history, ranking as the franchise's all-time leader in wins (233), games pitched (550), innings pitched (3,816 1/3), strikeouts (2,696) and shutouts (52). A four-time All-Star, he pitched in three World Series (1974, '77 and '78) with the Dodgers, led the National League in shutouts (9) in '72, was the NL ERA leader (2.20) in '80 and a 21-game winner in '76. He made his big league debut with the Dodgers in '66 and stayed with the team through '80, before leaving and rejoining the club in '88. Sutton finished his career with 324 wins and 3,574 strikeouts and was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in '98.
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Walter Alston, Manager: No. 24
Number retired: June 5, 1977
Walter Emmons Alston was a virtual unknown when he took over the helm of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, but he became well-known in a hurry. The longtime Minor League skipper guided his first Dodgers team to 92 wins and followed that up by piloting the '55 Dodgers to 98 victories and the first World Series championship in franchise history. He went on to lead the Dodgers to six more National League pennants and three more World Series titles ('59, '63 and '65) in a 23-year career in which he tallied 2,040 victories to place fifth on the all-time managerial wins list at the time he retired. His 3,658 total games managed also ranked sixth all time when he stepped down. Alston, who played in one Major League game with the St. Louis Cardinals in '34, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in '83.
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Sandy Koufax, P: No. 32
Number retired: June 4, 1972
Among the most dominant pitchers in the game's history, the left-hander won 165 games and compiled 2,396 strikeouts in 2,324 1/3 innings with 40 shutouts in his 12-year Dodgers career (1955-66). A three-time Cy Young Award winner and the National League MVP in '63, Koufax was also World Series MVP in both '63 and '65, during the latter of which he hurled a pair of shutouts. He led the NL in ERA five straight seasons from '62-66, was the strikeouts leader four times and was tops in wins on three occasions with totals of 27, 26 and 25. In addition, Koufax pitched an NL-record four no-hitters -- including a perfect game in '65, a season in which he also set the NL single-season mark with 382 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in '72.
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Fernando Valenzuela, SP: No. 34
Number retired: Aug. 11, 2023
Despite not being retired for over 30 years, no Dodgers player donned Valenzuela's No. 34 until the Dodgers retired the number in August 2023. The Dodgers have an organizational rule that requires a player to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame before having his number retired at Dodger Stadium. Still, the Dodgers waived that rule for Valenzuela. Few players have impacted the Dodgers' storied franchise as much as Valenzuela when the Mexican-born left-hander captivated the fan base during "Fernandomania" during the 80s.
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Roy Campanella, C: No. 39
Number retired: June 4, 1972
In 10 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1948-57), Campy was a force both at the plate and behind it. The catcher played on five pennant-winning clubs, including the World Series champions of '55. That season, the eight-time All-Star became a three-time National League Most Valuable Player Award winner after collecting 32 home runs and 107 RBIs. He also garnered MVP honors in '51 and again in '53, when he led the NL with a Brooklyn-record 142 RBIs to go with a career-high 41 home runs. Campanella, whose career was cut short by a tragic automobile accident that left him paralyzed, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in '69.
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Jackie Robinson, Infielder: No. 42
Number retired: June 4, 1972
Jack Roosevelt Robinson made a historic entrance into Major League Baseball in 1947 as the first African-American player in the history of the game. His outstanding debut season netted him the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award, which now bears his name, and was the first act in a stellar 10-season career in which he was part of six Brooklyn pennant-winning teams, among them the World Series championship club of '55. In '49, the six-time All-Star won the NL batting title (.342) en route to earning MVP honors. Robinson, a first baseman as a rookie, starred as a second baseman for the next five seasons, before moving on to play third base and the outfield. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in '62.
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Don Drysdale, P: No. 53
Number retired: July 1, 1984
One of the game's fiercest competitors, the hard-throwing right-hander pitched 14 seasons (1956-69) for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, ranking second on the franchise's career list in wins (209), strikeouts (2,486), innings pitched (3,432) and shutouts (49) and third in games pitched (518). The NL strikeout leader in '59 and '60, "Big "D earned the league's Cy Young Award in '62, when he won 25 and topped the league in strikeouts for a third time. A member of three World Series championship clubs ('59, '63 and '65) and two other pennant winners ('56 and '66), he set a then-Major League record in '68, tossing 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, including a record six straight shutouts. Drysdale was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in '84.