Jorge Posada had his No. 20 retired by the Yankees in a ceremony prior to this afternoon’s game against the Indians. He’s the 19th player to have his number retired by the Yankees, the most of any team. Needless to say, they have gotten pretty good at these type of events.
A long list of familiar faces were on hand for the occasion, including Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, David Cone, Paul O’Neill, Hideki Matsui, Scott Brosius, and Joe Torre. Yogi Berra, who wasn’t present, had a message displayed on the scoreboard. Yankees manager Joe Girardi escorted Diana Munson on the field to give Posada a framed replica of his plaque which will be displayed in Monument Park. It was a touching moment.
Per Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, here’s part of Posada’s speech:“I can’t believe I’m standing here right now,” Posada told the crowd before the scheduled game between the Yankees and Indians. “Trying to put into words the feelings and emotions of this day is tough. I was born passionate about baseball and the New York Yankees.
“Being here seems surreal.”
Posada spoke about his son’s health issues during his speech and made sure to give best wishes to the Indians’ Mike Aviles, whose daughter is battling leukemia.
Posada also threw out of the ceremonial first pitch to his son. You can check it out below:
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Posada, a five-time All-Star, won five World Series rings during his time with the Yankees. He was a lifetime .273 hitter over 17 major league seasons, amassing 275 home runs and 1,065 RBI.