Complete list of Reds' retired numbers
CINCINNATI -- As the oldest franchise in professional baseball, the Reds have one of the more storied histories in the game. The club also enjoyed one of the more profound dynasties in recent history.
Several of the team's all-time greats have been given the great honor of having their number retired by the club. Most of those select few are also enshrined in Cooperstown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. But not everybody. Of the 10 numbers retired, not including Jackie Robinson, four are not Hall of Famers.
"There's no set rule on that," said Rick Walls, who serves as the executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame adjacent to Great American Ball Park. "Certainly the benchmark is being in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But you take each case and consider the merits of the particular person and go from there."
Here is the list of Reds who have had their numbers retired:
Fred Hutchinson, manager, No. 1
Number retired: 1965
The first number retired in club history happened under sad circumstances. Hutchinson, who led the Reds to the National League pennant in 1961, was forced to step down as manager during the 1964 season and died from cancer on Nov. 12 that year at the age of 45. Cincinnati won 90 or more games in three of his six seasons with the club and his legacy continues with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and the annual Hutch Award, given to Major Leaguers that overcame adversity.
Johnny Bench, catcher, No. 5
Number retired: Aug. 11, 1984
Considered by many as the greatest catcher in baseball history, Bench played all 17 of his seasons for the Reds from 1968-83, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. A member of the Big Red Machine clubs, he retired as the NL's all-time home runs leader among catchers and the Reds' all-time leader with 389 home runs and 1,376 RBIs. Bench also was a two-time NL MVP Award winner, a 10-time NL Gold Glove winner and 14-time NL All-Star.
Frank Robinson, OF, No. 20
Number retired: May 22, 1998
A 1982 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Robinson's 21 season Major League career began in Cincinnati from 1956-65. During his 10 seasons for the Reds, he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in '56 and was the 1961 NL MVP. Traded to the Orioles in an infamous deal for pitcher Milt Pappas after the '65 season, Robinson won the American League MVP Award and Triple Crown in '66, and he finished among baseball's all-time leaders with 586 career home runs.
Joe Morgan, 2B, No. 8
Number retired: June 6, 1998
Although he played for five clubs, Morgan's best years were his time as part of the Big Red Machine dynasty from 1972-79. He was a two-time NL MVP in the World Series winning years of 1975-76. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990, Morgan was a 10-time All-Star and a five-time NL Gold Glove Award winner. He retired as Cincinnati's all-time leader in stolen bases (406) and third all-time in baseball among second basemen with 266 home runs.
Ted Kluszewski, 1B, No. 18
Number retired: July 18, 1998
Kluszewski, famous for his huge biceps and sleeveless uniform, was a four-time All-Star and played 11 years for the Reds from 1947-57. His best year was 1954, when he batted .326 and led the NL with 49 home runs and 141 RBIs. A 1962 Reds Hall of Fame inductee, Kluszewski also served as a coach for Cincinnati from 1970-78.
Tony Perez, 3B/1B, No. 24
Number retired: May 27, 2000
A member of the Big Red Machine dynasty of the 1970s, Perez played for Cincinnati from 1967-76 and 1985-86, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. The native of Cuba was a trailblazer among Latino players as a seven-time All-Star, and he retired with the second most RBIs among players from Latin America (1,652). He hit 379 homers over his 23-year big league career.
Sparky Anderson, manager, No. 10
Number retired: May 28, 2005
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, Anderson was the first manager to ever lead teams from both the NL and AL to World Series titles -- doing it first in Cincinnati in 1975-76 and with Detroit in 1984. He was the Associated Press NL Manager of the Year in 1972 and '75. For the Reds from 1970-78, he guided the Big Red Machine to an 863-586 record with two World Series titles, four NL pennants and five division titles. He departed after the '78 season as the Reds' all-time leader in victories.
Davey Concepcion, SS, No. 13
Number retired: Aug. 25, 2007
The shortstop for the Big Red Machine from 1970-88, Concepcion joined the Reds Hall of Fame in 2000, and he is considered one of the best defensive shortstops to ever play the game. He was named the team's captain in 1983. Concepcion was a nine-time NL All-Star and a five-time NL Gold Glove Award winner. He was the MVP of the 1982 All-Star Game.
Barry Larkin, SS, No. 11
Number retired: Aug. 25, 2012
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012, Larkin helped lead the Reds to a 1990 World Series title and was the NL MVP Award winner after the '95 season. During his 19-season career -- all with his hometown club of Cincinnati -- Larkin was a 12-time All-Star, a nine-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and he won three Gold Glove Awards. He finished as the only shortstop in Major League history with at least 2,300 hits (2,340), 190 homers (198) and 370 steals (379). In 1996, he was the first shortstop in the big leagues to record a 30-homer, 30-stolen base season.
Pete Rose, 2B, 3B, 1B, OF, No. 14
Number retired: June 26, 2016
Although banned from baseball for gambling in 1989 and thus, ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, a special exception was made to retire the number of one of the greatest players. He retired as the all-time hits leader (4,256) over a 24-season career. A Reds star from 1963-77 and the team's player-manager in 1984-86, Rose was a member of the Big Red Machine in the '70s and he won two World Series titles with Cincinnati. He was also the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, the 1973 NL MVP, a three-time batting champion and a two-time Gold Glove Award winner. He once held a 44-game hitting streak in 1978, which stood as the third-longest in Major League history.
Note: On April 15, 1997, the Reds joined every team in MLB in retiring No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson.