Red Sox To Retire Pesky's #6

Update: It looks like the ceremony will be held Friday night.

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The Herald's Steve Buckley reports that a team source told him

meetings were held last night and again this morning to address how and when a player's number should be retired. The team plans to hold a press conference today or tomorrow to announce the change in policy, with all signs pointing to the dramatic news that Pesky's uniform No. 6 will be retired before the end of the regular season.

Noting that this Saturday is Pesky's 89th birthday, Buckley thinks a possible ceremony could take place before that afternoon's nationally-televised game against the Yankees.

The Globe confirms it:

A team source confirmed to the Globe that the Red Sox will retire Johnny Pesky's No. 6 this weekend, during the final series of the year with the New York Yankees. The official announcement could come as early as today.

It would be the sixth number the Red Sox have retired, after Bobby Doerr (1), Joe Cronin (4), Carl Yastrzemski (8), Ted Williams (9) and Carlton Fisk (27). #42 was also retired in 1997.

Pesky played seven full seasons with the Red Sox -- he lost what would have been his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seasons to World War II -- before being traded to Detroit in June 1952. He returned to manage the team in 1963 and 1964, and also worked as a broadcaster, coach, and special consultant. Pesky wore #22 when he managed the Red Sox and #35 when he was a coach in the 1970s.

#6:

Hal Rynes          1931
Wally Dashiell     1932
Bucky Walters      1933
Dusty Cooke        1934
Carl Reynolds      1935
Joe Cronin         1936
Eric McNair        1937-38
Boze Berger        1939
Marv Owen          1940
Odell Hale         1941
Johnny Pesky       1942
Roy Partee         1943-44
Skeeter Newsome    1945
Johnny Pesky       1946-52
Johnny Lipon       1952-53
Harry Agganis      1954-55
Mickey Vernon      1956-57
Vic Wertz          1959-61
Lu Clinton         1962-64
Lee Thomas         1964-65
Rico Petrocelli    1966-76
Johnny Pesky       1981-84 (COACH)
Bill Buckner       1985-87
Rick Cerone        1988-89
Tony Pena          1990-93
Damon Berryhill    1994
Chris Donnels      1995
Gary Gaetti        2000