Mets to Retire Legendary Hurler Jerry Koosman's Number in 2020
By Daniel Marcillo
Jerry Koosman may not have the national glamour that Tom Seaver or Mike Piazza had, but he has a special spot in the hearts of Mets fans and delivered a title to the fans of Flushing.
To show their respect, the organization will retire the No. 36 in 2020, as just the third Mets number to be retired.
The Mets have announced that they will retire Jerry Koosman’s uniform No. 36 next season.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) September 24, 2019
Koosman was dominant during his 12 years with the Mets. He won 140 games, pitched to a 3.06 ERA, and was on the mound for the final out of the 1969 Miracle Mets World Series victory.
He picked up half of the Mets wins in that World Series and another in the 1973 World Series against the Oakland A's. Though Koosman was always overshadowed by the great Seaver nationally, he had years where he was just as dominant as the future Hall of Famer.
We will retire Jerry Koosman’s number 36 in 2020. #Kooooz36
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 24, 2019
The lefty with the most wins in team history will join Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza as the only #Mets players to have their numbers retired.
ℹ️: https://t.co/hSCakZWv9a pic.twitter.com/W1gRcQjlWU
Koosman finished second in the Cy Young voting of the 1976 season, and was a two-time All-Star as a Met.
He will join Piazza (31) and Seaver (41) as Mets players to have their number retried. Casey Stengel (37) and Gil Hodges (14) are the only two managers to have their number retired by the team. The universal No. 42 of Jackie Robinson is not only retired by the Mets, but by all of Major League Baseball, so Koosman checks in as the sixth overall honoree by this franchise.