The Pittsburgh Pirates might have another jersey number retirement ceremony on the horizon.
The hint came when the Pirates announced new uniform numbers for players on Thursday, and Nick Gonzales had stopped wearing the No. 39 that Dave Parker wore.
Gonzales will now be No. 3.
When Parker died, Gonzales spoke on his number, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“Personally, I think it should be retired. I think I should get a new number, honestly. I think that might happen at some point when some numbers open up.”
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Now, Gonzales has his new number.
It’s not clear whether that is solely a good-faith gesture by him, or if a ceremony will be coming to retire Parker’s number officially.
Given that Parker is now a Hall of Famer, it seems likely that it’ll get retired.
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The Pirates have already retired the following numbers:
1 – Billy Meyer4 – Ralph Kiner8 – Willie Stargell9 – Bill Mazeroski 11 – Paul Waner20 – Pie Traynor21 – Roberto Clemente33 – Honus Wagner40 – Danny Murtaugh42 – Jackie Robinson (MLB)
It would be a great way for the Pirates to honor the legendary Parker by retiring his number for good as a lasting legacy.
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