Mets retired numbers
Keith Hernandez's No. 17 is retired during a ceremony at Citi Field, Saturday, July 9, 2022. Credit: Noah K. Murray
More than 1,800 people have worn the Mets uniform in a major-league game, heading into the 2024 season. Only these have had their jerseys retired by the team.
14 - Gil Hodges
Number retired on June 9, 1973
A Brooklyn Dodgers legend, Gil Hodges was an Original Met in 1962, hitting the club’s first home run and appearing in 65 games for the club over two seasons. His biggest contribution to the Mets came as manager, leading the club to its first winning season, NL pennant and world championship by guiding a previously futile team to a 100-win campaign. Hodges has the fourth most wins in Mets history (339). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 after being voted in by the Golden Days Era Committee.
16 - Dwight Gooden
His jersey will be retired on April 14 in a ceremony at Citi Field.
17 - Keith Hernandez
Number retired on July 9, 2022
Widely considered one of the greatest defensive first basemen to play the game, Keith Hernandez joined the Mets in 1983 having won the last five NL Gold Gloves and a World Series with the Cardinals. He won six more Gold Gloves with the Mets and was key to winning the 1986 World Series, finishing fourth in MVP voting that year by batting .310 with 83 RBI, and driving in three runs in Game 7 against the Red Sox. Hernandez was named captain in 1987 and remains among the best hitters in club history, ranking third all-time in batting average (.297) and on-base percentage (.387).
18 - Darryl Strawberry
His jersey will be retired on June 1 in a ceremony at Citi Field.
24 - Willie Mays
Number retired on Aug. 27, 2022
Willie Mays established himself as an all-time great for the New York/San Francisco Giants and returned to his sporting roots in 1972 after more than a decade on the West Coast. Mays hit the final 14 of his 660 career home runs with the Mets, retiring in 1973. His number was retired during a surprise on-field ceremony at the club’s Old-Timers’ Day in 2022.
31 - Mike Piazza
Number retired on July 30, 2016
Mike Piazza was one of the game’s greatest power-hitting catchers during his 16 seasons, including eight stellar years for the Mets. He was a six-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger with the Mets, hitting 220 of his 427 career home runs and helping the 2000 squad win the NL pennant. Piazza still ranks first in club history in slugging percentage (.542) and ranks in the top five in home runs, RBI, batting average, OBP and offensive WAR. He is the only position player to wear a Mets cap on his plaque in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
36 - Jerry Koosman
Number retired on Aug. 28, 2021
Jerry Koosman was a stalwart in the rotation for the Mets in the late 1960s and '70s. An All-Star in each of his first two full seasons, Koosman was crucial to the Miracle Mets’ World Series victory in 1969, holding the Orioles hitless for six innings and throwing 8 2/3 innings for the Game 2 win, then pitching a complete game in the Game 5 clincher. He is third in club history in wins (140) and strikeouts (1,799) and second all-time in complete games (108) and shutouts (26).
37 - Casey Stengel
Number retired on Sept. 2, 1965
A New York baseball icon, Casey Stengel was a member of all four prominent MLB franchises to call the city home, having played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants before managing the Dodgers and Yankees. He became the Mets’ first manager ahead of the 1962 season and immediately was a staunch promoter of the club’s cause in the city He coined the “Amazin’s” nickname still used and helped build a following for the team despite last-place finishes in each of his four seasons as manager.
41 - Tom Seaver
Number retired on July 24, 1988
Known as "The Franchise," Tom Seaver remains the most valuable player in Mets history with a WAR of 78.8. Seaver was NL Rookie of the Year in 1967 and didn’t slow down, winning at least 16 games in each of his first seven seasons. He was 25-7 with a 2.21 ERA for the ’69 Mets, earning his first of three Cy Young Awards and finishing second in MVP voting en route to the team's first World Series title. A 12-time All-Star, Seaver won 311 games in his career, including a club-record 198 for the Mets. He also ranks first in club history in strikeouts (2,541), complete games (171), shutouts (33), games started (395) and innings pitched (3,045 2/3). Seaver became the first National Baseball Hall of Famer with a Mets cap on his plaque upon his induction in 1992, and his statue outside Citi Field was unveiled in 2022.
42 - Jackie Robinson
Number retired on April 15, 1997
Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 was retired throughout baseball on the first Jackie Robinson Day in 1997 during a pregame ceremony at Shea Stadium attended by his widow, Rachel Robinson. Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 and became a civil rights icon during his prolific career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson won Rookie of the Year in 1947, MVP in 1949 and helped win the Dodgers’ first and only title in Brooklyn in 1955.
Ryan Gerbosi is an internet news manager for sports at Newsday.com. He also covers NYCFC and mixed martial arts and believes the designated hitter should be banned from baseball.
