Rox set plan to honor Walker, retire No. 33
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DENVER -- The Rockies’ ceremony to retire the No. 33 of Larry Walker -- who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020 and will be the first player to represent the club in Cooperstown, N.Y. -- is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 21, before a 6:10 p.m. MT game against the D-backs, MLB.com has learned.
The club has not announced the jersey retirement date.
Walker, an outfield star who played for the Rockies from 1995-2004 as the key portion of his 17-year career, will have his induction ceremony in Cooperstown on July 25, alongside Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter.
Walker will be the second Rockies player to have his number retired. The club retired the No. 17 of Hall of Fame candidate Todd Helton in 2014, the year after his 17-season career concluded.
Walker was traded to the Cardinals in 2004. Since he left, the only player to wear 33 during the regular season was first baseman Justin Morneau. The fellow Canadian received Walker’s blessing to wear it in 2014 and ‘15. The number was issued to pitcher John Maine in Spring Training ‘12, but Maine never appeared in the regular season for the Rockies.
The Rockies also have retired the initials of Keli Scott McGregor, the longtime president of the club who passed away in 2010. And in 1997, No. 42, worn by Jackie Robinson, who broke MLB's color barrier, was retired across the sport.
The Rockies originally planned to retire Walker’s jersey before a game against the Cardinals -- the team with which Walker finished his career -- on April 19, 2020, but the pandemic scuttled that entire part of the schedule.
The Rockies are scheduled to play the Cardinals on July 2-4, the final series before the All-Star break. With Tuesday’s announcement that the All-Star Game -- removed from Atlanta last week -- is coming to Coors Field on July 13, retiring Walker’s number with the Cards in town was not feasible.
The time between now and the ceremony allows for travel to be arranged for Walker, his family and teammates, and to properly organize events around the jersey retirement.