![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772386508_625_0x0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 28: A view of the New York Yankees logo on a baseball hat during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 28, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
The New York Yankees are preparing to retire the jersey number of another standout great, emphasizing once again just how many legendary players have passed through the organization.<\/p>\n
When the team adds former starter CC Sabathia\u2019s No. 52 to its Monument Park collection of honorary plaques, it will have a total of two dozen numbers that are retired in honor of former players and managers. <\/p>\n
But shortly following the news that the team would be honoring Sabathia with its latest retirement ceremony, Yankees fans heard that former pitcher Wayne Granger had died at age 81.<\/p>\n
ForbesPhillies Reunion Report Turns To \u2018Bad Hand\u2019 For Rhys HoskinsBy Peter Chawaga<\/a>New York Yankees Former Reliever Wayne Granger Dies<\/p>\n Long-time Yankees fans might remember Granger from the 1973 campaign, when he appeared in seven games for the Bronx Bombers with a 1.76 ERA. But he\u2019s probably best remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds, which earned him a spot in that team\u2019s Hall of Fame following two different seasons of MVP Award votes as a reliever. <\/p>\n \u201cGranger became the first pitcher to appear in 90 games in a single season when he did so for the Reds in 1969,\u201d the Cincinnati Enquirer\u2019s Dave Clark wrote<\/a> following the former player\u2019s death. \u201cGranger spent most of his nine-season MLB career with the Reds. He also pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Montreal Expos.\u201d<\/p>\n Granger, a native of Springfield, Mass., joined the Cape Cod Baseball League out of high school and was eventually elected to that league\u2019s Hall of Fame as well. He was signed by the Cardinals as a free agent in 1965 and made his big-league debut with the team in 1968.<\/p>\n He joined the Reds last that season as part of a trade and went on to become one of the most productive relievers in all of baseball in the 1960s and 1970s. His best campaign came in 1970 when he finished 59 games with 35 total saves. <\/p>\n