Joining a list that includes legends such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, former pitcher Andy Pettitte will have his uniform No. 46 retired by the New York Yankees this year.
Multiple media outlets reported Sunday that the Yankees will hold a ceremony honoring Pettitte in August. The team did not immediately confirm the move, but Pettitte’s son broke the news over Twitter, writing that Aug. 23 will be Andy Pettitte Day.
The Yankees also reportedly will dedicate a plaque to Pettitte in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park. He will become the 18th Yankee to have his number retired.
Pettitte, 42, retired after the 2013 season, having won five World Series championship rings with New York.
The left-hander spent 15 of his 18 major league seasons in the Bronx, leaving only to pitch 2004-06 with his hometown Houston Astros. He finished 219-127 with a 3.94 ERA in 447 regular-season games (438 starts) for the Yankees. Overall, he posted a 256-153 regular-season record with a 3.85 ERA in 531 games (521 starts).
On the Yankees’ all-time statistical lists, Pettitte ranks first in strikeouts (2,020), tied for first with Whitey Ford in pitching starts (438), third in innings pitched and third in wins.
Pettitte’s 19 postseason wins — 18 of them with the Yankees — are a major league record. In 44 playoff starts, he went 19-11 with a 3.81 ERA.
Pettitte admitted using human growth hormone, a banned performance-enhancing drug, during his career but never was suspended.