Retired Numbers: 10
Billy Meyer - #1
- BORN: January 14, 1892, Knoxville, Tenn.
- DIED: March 31, 1957.
- CAREER: A catcher with the White Sox and Athletics (1913, 1916-17), Meyer won eight pennants as a manager of Minor League clubs from 1926 through 1947 before becoming the Pirates manager in 1948. Known for his rapport with players, fans and the press, Meyer managed in Pittsburgh for five seasons, compiling a record of 317-452. He was Manager of the Year in 1948 when the Bucs compiled a record of 83-71. Following his five-year tenure as Pirates manager, Meyer was a Pittsburgh scout for three years.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1954.
- Meyer's career stats »
Ralph Kiner - #4
- BORN: October 27, 1922, Santa Rita, N.M.
- CAREER: A Hall of Famer (inducted in 1975), Kiner ranks second on the club's all-time home run list (301). Won or shared NL home run title in each of his seven full seasons with Pittsburgh (1946-52), a streak unmatched in either league. Hit a club-record 54 homers in 1949 and had a club-record .567 slugging percentage in his Pirates career. Was the key player in 10-man deal with the Cubs on June 4, 1953. Played with Cubs (1953-54) and Cleveland (1955) before a back ailment ended his career prematurely. He hit 369 home runs over his 10-year career, averaging 7.1 per 100 at-bats, which ranks among the best in Major League history.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1987.
- Kiner's career stats »
Willie Stargell - #8
- BORN: March 6, 1941, Earlsboro, Okla.
- DIED: April 9, 2001.
- CAREER: "Pops" compiled a remarkable career in a 21-year span from 1962 through 1982 with the Pirates. In 2,360 games he batted .282 with 475 home runs, seven home runs in postseason play, and 1,540 RBIs. The Bucs' all-time home run, RBI and extra base hits king, Willie also ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in games, at-bats, runs, hits, singles, doubles and total bases. Stargell was a seven-time All-Star pick. In 1979 he was the NL's co-MVP and the MVP in the LCS and World Series. Stargell became the 17th player elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility (inducted in 1988).
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1982.
- Stargell's career stats »
Bill Mazeroski - #9
- BORN: September 5, 1936 in Wheeling, W.V.
- CAREER: Mazeroski well-chronicled home run against the Yankees gave Pittsburgh the 1960 World Championship. During his 17-year career with Pittsburgh (1956-72), the Hall-of-Famer won eight Gold Glove awards and earned a reputation as one of the finest fielding second basemen in the history of the game. Among the Major League records for second basemen "Maz" holds are: most seasons leading league in assists (nine), most seasons leading league in double plays (eight), most double plays in a single season (161 in 1966) and most career double plays (1,706). A seven-time NL All-Star, he compiled a .260 lifetime average with 138 home runs and 853 runs batted in.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1987.
- Mazeroski's career stats »
Paul Waner - #11
- BORN: April 16, 1903, Harrah, Okla.
- DIED: Aug. 29, 1965.
- CAREER: Waner's batting average of .340 with the Pirates ranks first in the history of the club. The three-time National League batting champion ranks sixth all-time in games played (2,154), third in hits (2868), second in triples (187), fifth in RBI (1181), third in at bats (8,429), third in singles (2,018), third in extra base hits (855), third in walks (909), second in runs scored (1,493), first in doubles (559) and fourth in total bases (4,128). After batting .336 during his rookie campaign in 1926, Waner became the first player in Pirates history to capture the NL MVP during the 1927 season. He led the Senior Circuit by driving in a career-high 131 runs while helping Pittsburgh capture its second World Series appearance in three years. The four-time All-Star (1933-35, 1937), who hit .300 or better 14 times in the NL, proved to be one of the game's most dominating players during the 1930s. From 1930-39, he led all Major League players in hits (1,959), ranked third in doubles (373) and triples (112) and was fifth in batting (.336). During the 1932 season, the outfielder collected a club record 63 doubles while batting .341. Waner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 2007.
- Waner's career stats »
Pie Traynor - #20
- BORN: Nov. 11, 1899, Framingham, Mass.
- DIED: March 16, 1972.
- CAREER: Harold (Pie) Traynor was one of the finest third basemen in Major League history, earning that reputation in a 17-year playing career spent entirely with the Pirates (1920-1935, 37). Regarded as an outstanding defensive player, Traynor was also adept with the bat, compiling a lifetime .320 average. While he hit just 58 home runs, he managed to drive in 1,273 runs. Traynor ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in games, at-bats, runs, hits, singles, doubles, triples, total bases, RBIs, extra-base hits, batting average and stolen bases. The Hall of Famer (inducted in 1948) also managed the Pirates from 1934 through 1939.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1972.
- Klein's career stats »
Roberto Clemente - #21
- BORN: August 18, 1934, Carolina, P.R.
- DIED: December 31, 1972.
- CAREER: A Hall of Famer (inducted in 1973), Roberto Clemente was selected by the Pirates in the player draft when the Brooklyn Dodgers left him unprotected after the 1954 season, his first as a professional. For the next 18 years Clemente starred in the Pirates outfield. He won four NL batting crowns and batted .317 in his career, with 240 home runs and 1,305 RBIs. He also won 12 Gold Glove Awards. He hit safely in all seven games in both the 1960 and 1971 World Series, winning the Series MVP Award in 1971 when he batted .414 with two homers and two doubles against Baltimore. Clemente was a 12-time All-Star and the NL MVP in 1966. He ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in 12 offensive categories. He died with four others when a plane carrying supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua crashed.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1973.
- Clemente's career stats »
Honus Wagner - #33
- BORN: February 24, 1874, Carnegie, Pa.
- DIED: December 6, 1955.
- CAREER: One of five players originally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Honus Wagner is widely regarded as the best shortstop to ever play the game. "The Flying Dutchman" won eight NL batting crowns -- second only to Ty Cobb's 12 titles -- during a 17-year stretch in which he batted over .300 in each season. Wagner came to Pittsburgh in 1900 after three seasons with Louisville, a franchise that had disbanded. He played with the Bucs until 1917 and ended his career with a .329 average and 101 homers. Wagner was a coach with the Pirates between 1933 and 1951. He ranks among the Pirates' top 10 in 11 offensive categories.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1952.
- Wagner's career stats »
Danny Murtaugh - #40
- BORN: October 8, 1917 in Chester, Pa.
- DIED: December 2, 1976.
- CAREER: A second baseman with the Phillies, Braves and Pirates (1941-43, 46-51), Danny Murtaugh was one of the most successful managers in Pirates history. He managed the Bucs in four different stints during 15 seasons between 1957 and 1976. During that time he became one of only 36 managers to win 1,000 games, compiling a record of 1,115-950, his win total ranking second on the Pirates all-time list to Fred Clarke's 1,422. He led the Pirates to four Eastern Division crowns and two World Series Championships (1960 and 1971). He was named Manager of the Year in 1960 and 1970.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1977.
- Murtaugh's career stats »
Jackie Robinson - #42
- BORN: January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Ga.
- DIED: October 24, 1972.
- CAREER: Known forever as the first black player in the Major Leagues, Jack Roosevelt Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956, helping them to six pennants in a 10-year span and to their only World Championship in 1955. He was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1947 and the league's MVP in 1949. A six-time All-Star, Robinson also became the first man to integrate the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, as a tribute to the legacy he created, Major League Baseball retired his No. 42 league-wide on the 50th Anniversary of his breaking the game's color barrier. The Pirates officially retired his number in a pre-game ceremony on July 12, 1997.
- NUMBER RETIRED: 1997.
- Robinson's career stats »
