New York Yankees Retired Numbers: A list of legends who have had their Pinstripes retired over the years

The New York Yankees are unquestionably one of the best teams in baseball. They have won more AL Pennants and World Series championships than any other baseball team in history.

The team has generations of talented players and managers to thank for their success. Since the team's inception in 1903, they have been among the most recognizable brands on earth. To honor the best of the best, the Yankees have retired a host of those Yankees players' numbers who are truly beyond reproach.

"Here’s a list of the numbers the New York Yankees have retired. Some of these are kind of ridiculous. Jorge Posada? Ron Guidry? Forgive me for this next one, but Reggie Jackson? He played five years in New York." - Steven Risotto

The first New York Yankees player to have his number retired was Lou Gehrig. The Yankees retired Gehrig's number 4 on July 4, 1939 after the star retired. He succumbed to complications from ALS in just two years.

Babe Ruth played for the New York Yankees from 1920 to 1934. In his time there, he won multiple All-Star designations as well as an MVP Award in 1923. Babe Ruth had his number, 3, retired by the team in 1948, 13 years after his retirement, and only two months before his death at the age of 53.

"Roger Maris & Mickey Mantle - 'The M&M Boys'!" - Baseball by BSmile

Roger Maris, who held the widely-accepted record for single-season home runs for 61 years, had his number, 9, retired by the team in 1984. His record was shattered by current Yankee Aaron Judge in 2022.

Legendary closer Mariano Rivera wore number 42 throughout his career. 42 is a legendary number in baseball for its association with pioneering baseball player Jackie Robinson. Although 42 was retired across the league in 1997, players who already had that number were allowed to keep it. This made Rivera the last player to wear number 42. The Yankees retired 42 for good in honor of Rivera in September 2013.

The list would not have been complete without at least a passing mention of Derek Jeter, who had his number 2 retired in May 2017. Two years later, Jeter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his efforts in his 20 seasons with the New York Yankees.

Expect to see more numbers retired for the New York Yankees

Possibly the most memorable number - 99 - is worn by Aaron Judge. After Judge set the record and signed the biggest positional contract ever this season, expect his number to one day hang in the rafters.