The Cleveland Guardians have had several notable members throughout the course of their long existence, which spans more than a century. Cleveland’s history is littered with hard-throwing pitchers, prodigious hitters, and boundary-breakers.
The Guardians have won the privilege to retire and display a select group of players’ and managers’ jersey numbers in the team’s ballpark. In Cleveland, retiring a number is decided on a case-by-by-case basis, with induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame serving as a crucial consideration. There are no precise criteria for this decision in Cleveland.
A total of 9 jersey numbers have been retired by the Cleveland Guardians excluding 1 jersey(455) retired by their fans.
No.3 Earl Averill
Earl Averill played 13 seasons in the majors, 11 with the Indians. The six-time All-Star posted a .318 lifetime average, and he ended his career as the all-time Indian leader in several categories. Those include runs scored (1,154), triples (121), home runs (226), extra-base hits (724), total bases (3,201) and bases on balls (726).
No.5 Lou Boudreau
Hall of Fame infielder Lou Boudreau played 15 seasons in the major leagues, 13 of them with the Indians. He was Cleveland’s player-manager from 1942 to 1950; he led them in 1948 World Championship win. As a player, Boudreau made seven All-Star appearances with the Cleveland Indians.
No.14 Larry Doby
He was the first black player in the history of the American League, and he was a six-time All-Star. He was a pioneer in the field of baseball, and he did so in a stunning manner. Doby spent 10 of his 13 seasons in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians. At the conclusion of his career, he had a total of 253 home runs and 970 runs batted in.
No.18 Mel Harder
To date, no Guardian has played more than 20 seasons in professional baseball than him. In 1928, he made his MLB debut, and he finished his career with a 223-186 record with a 3.80 ERA. A four-time All-Star, Harder amassed more than a dozen victories in the double digits.
No.19 Bob Feller
Bob Feller played 18 seasons for the Guardians after signing with them in 1936. His 46 shutouts, 3,827 innings, 266 wins, and 266 strikeouts make him Cleveland’s all-time leading pitcher (2,581). He played in eight All-Star games and had six 20-win seasons. He was the league’s leading strikeout pitcher seven times and threw three no-hitters.
No.20 Frank Robinson
Major League Baseball has never had an African-American manager until his arrival. Hit a first-inning home run on opening day as player-manager in his first game. Tribe manager from 1975 until 1977. Totaled 16 seasons under her belt. While playing for the Indians, he had a 186-189 record. In 1982, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
No.21 Bob Lemon
With a 207-128 record and an ERA of 3.23 over his 13 years with the Cleveland Indians, Lemon is one of the all-time great pitchers in baseball history. There have been only four American League pitchers who have ever won 20 or more games seven times in a career, and Lemon is the one among them. For the third time in his career, he was A.L. MVP.
No.25 Jim Thome
Jackie Robinson No. 42
On April 15, 1997, every team in MLB retired No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson.
