The Dodgers don’t have written “criteria” for retiring uniform numbers. But with two notable exceptions, each of the franchise’s retired numbers was worn by a player who played most of his career with the Dodgers and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Former player and coach Jim Gilliam, a member of the Dodger organization for 28 seasons, passed away during the playoffs at age 49. His uniform No. 19 was retired prior to the World Series. Former pitcher and current broadcaster Fernando Valenzuela’s uniform No. 34 will be retired this August. Valenzuela, the 1981 rookie sensation who sparked a “mania” in both Southern California and his native Mexico, became the first Major Leaguer to win both Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award honors in the same season.