According to a report by the Boston Herald, the Red Sox franchise is ready to change their long-standing policy regarding the retirement of a player’s number. All indications are this change is being made to allow the team to honor unofficial team ambassador Johnny Pesky by retiring his number six among the former Red Sox greats. The current policy states a player must already be enshrined in Cooperstown and spent 10 years as a member of the Boston franchise. Historically, a player must also finish his career with the Boston franchise, however, an exception was made to policy to allow for Carlton Fisk’s number 27 to be added to the wall.
Pesky played for the Red Sox for 7 full years and part of an 8th before being traded to Detroit; he missed three years after winning the Rookie of the Year to serve in the Navy. The light-hitting Pesky averaged just below two HRs a year, prompting teammate Mel Parnell to joke Pesky could only hit home-runs by wrapping them around the short porch to the fair side of the right field pole. The pole was commonly called “Pesky’s Pole” until it was officially named so by the franchise in 2006. In his seven years with Boston, Johnny Pesky averaged 143 games
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