No. 14 is finally getting recognition from a baseball hall.
The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame will induct Pete Rose and celebrate the all-time hits leader at Great American Ballpark during the weekend of June 24-26, 2016.
For many Reds fans it is something that is long overdue. Some are even holding out hope that it will be a stepping stone to Rose’s election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Only time will tell as far as that is concerned.
Also that weekend, the Reds will retire the No. 14, which Rose wore from 1963-1978 and 1984-1989.
It will become the 11th number on the retirement list for the Reds and the first since Barry Larkin‘s No. 11 was hung up for good in 2012.
The other numbers retired by the Reds are Fred Hutchinson (1), Johnny Bench (5), Joe Morgan (8), Sparky Anderson (10), Dave Concepcion (13), Ted Kluszewski (18), Frank Robinson (20), Tony Perez (24) and Jackie Robinson (42).
Rose played 19 of his 24 years in Cincinnati. In addition to being baseball’s all-time hit leader with 4,256, Rose also is at the top in games, plate appearances and at bats in baseball history. He was a 12-time all-star with the Reds before adding four more selections with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1973 and three batting titles, two Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger.
Other No. 14’s in Cincinnati
The have been a total of 20 players to have No. 14 on their back in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati first put numbers on uniforms during the 1932 season. Si Johnson was the first player to wear No. 14 when he was the opening day starting pitcher that year on April 12.
Johnson worked seven innings that day and the Reds needed a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to come away with a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs, who would go on to win the NL pennant and fall to the New York Yankees in the 1932 World Series.
After wearing No. 14 through the 1933 season, Johnson was 15, 21 and 24 over the next three years until he was sold to the St. Louis Cardinals. He was 46-86 from 1928-1936 with the Reds.
Overall, he was 101-165 in 17 seasons. After joining the Cardinals, Johnson also pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves.
Not The First No. 14
Ironically, Rose will not be the first member of a Hall of Fame to have worn No. 14 for the Reds. He will be the third.
Paul Derringer has that honor with the Reds Hall of Fame. Derringer, who only wore the number in 1934, was inducted in 1958.
Derringer was a six-time all star and won over 20 games for the Reds four times.
His best season was in the 1939 as the Reds on the NL pennant, Derringer went 25-7.
The next year, he was 20-12 as the Reds beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series,
Derringer also wore 21, 25, 30 and 52 during his 10 seasons in Cincinnati.
Chick Hafey was No. 14 during the 1937 season with the Reds. Hafey was with the Reds from 1932-1935 and in 1937.
Hafey was at the end of his career and plagued by vision problems while with the Reds.
He was Cincinnati’s representative during the inaugural all-star game in 1933 and collected the first hit in the history of the mid-summer classic.
Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, Hafey was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals when they won the World Series in 1926 and 1931.
Hafey’s best season was in 1929 when he hit 29 homers and knocked in 125 runs with a .338 average.
Hafey won the NL batting title in 1931 as he hit .349.
The Cardinals first class of their Hall of Fame was announced in 2014 with Hafey as a member.
The Last No. 14
Rose’s son, Pete, Jr., was the last player to wear the number during the 1997 season when he appeared in 11 games that summer.
Other notable players to wear No. 14 in Reds history are Nolen Richardson, Elmer Riddle, Rocky Bridges, Curt Flood and Willie Jones.
Two players had No. 14 in 1962, which was the year before Rose was assigned the number. Tommy Harper began the year with the Reds and was later sent to the minors.
Another Cincinnati native, Don Zimmer, was the last player before Rose to have No. 14 on his back. Zimmer was traded to the Reds by the New York Mets in 1962 and would finish the season with Cincinnati.
Prior to the 1963 season, Zimmer was shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the door for Charlie Hustle to begin his legendary career with the No. 14.
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