The Mets will retire legendary player and broadcaster Keith Hernandez’s No. 17 during the 2022 season, the team announced Tuesday.
The ceremony will be held prior to the Saturday, July 9 game vs. the Miami Marlins.
Hernandez, a Mets game analyst for SNY, has spent nearly three decades with the team over the course of both careers. He was elected to the Mets Hall of Fame in 1997 and will become the fourth Mets player to have his number retired.
“I’m thrilled,” Hernandez said in a statement. “This is truly a special honor that lasts beyond a lifetime. I can’t thank Steve and Alex Cohen and the Mets Hall of Fame Committee enough. I was very emotional when Steve called to let me know about the number retirement. This is the highest honor an organization can bestow upon a player. I also want to thank Mets fans, who have treated me like family since I arrived in 1983.”
Mets owner Steve Cohen added: “Keith was the first captain in team history and a great leader and catalyst on that ’86 championship team. He was a defensive wizard at first and was a clutch performer late in games. We made a promise to continue celebrating and honoring our tremendous history and this is another deserving step in that direction. Congratulations, Keith.”
Hernandez, 68, first joined the Mets in 1983 via a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitchers Neil Allen and Rock Ownbey. The 11-time Gold Glove winner – a franchise-record six won with the Mets – was instrumental in turning the team around, becoming a cornerstone of the 1986 championship squad.
The five-time All-Star slashed .310/.446/.413 with 34 doubles, 13 homers, 83 RBI and an NL-leading 94 walks in 1986. He delivered three RBI in Game Seven of that World Series.
In addition to being named the first ever Mets captain, he ranks second in team history in batting average (.297), fourth in on-base percentage (.387) and 10th in RBI (468).
Other Mets players with their numbers retired are Tom Seaver (No. 41), Mike Piazza (No. 31), and Jerry Koosman (No. 36). The Mets have also retired the numbers for manager Gil Hodges (No. 14), manager Casey Stengel (No. 37), and Jackie Robinson (No. 42).
Hernandez has been in the Mets television booth since 1999, including the last 16 years on SNY, where he’s won three Emmys for “Best Sports Analyst.”
