Allison McCague: In the aftermath of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Mets’ 1969 World Series title in September of 2019, the Mets announced that they would be retiring Jerry Koosman’s No. 36 in a ceremony the following year. Like many other things, that ceremony was delayed due to COVID-19 and will finally take place this weekend with the fans in attendance to properly commemorate the occasion. Koosman’s number retirement is at least an initial indicator of a change in philosophy on the part of the Mets; he will be the first player not enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame to have his number retired by the club.
How exclusive should number retirement be?
