Phillies

Phillies Retiring the Numbers of Three Players Who Didn’t Actually Have Numbers

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Apr 30th, 2025 · 10:32 AM EDT

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On the 142^nd anniversary of their first game, the Philadelphia Phillies are ensuring that their leadoff Hall of Famers – Ed Delahanty, Billy Hamilton and Sam Thompson, the only outfield in major league history where every player hit .400 (1894) – will take their rightful place among fellow players whose numbers have been retired at Citizens Bank Park.  The special recognition will take place on Thursday, May 1, before that night’s 6:45 p.m. game against the Nationals.

Delahanty was the first player in major league history to hit .400 three times, and he has the eighth highest career batting average in major league history.  Hamilton’s 198 runs scored in 1894 (132 games) remains the highest season total in major league history, as does his career mark of 1.06 runs per game.  He has the 10^th highest career batting average in major league history.  Thompson’s career 0.923 RBIs per game, his 1.42 RBIs per game in one season (1894) and his 61 RBIs in one month (August 1895) are all the most in major league history, and he owns the 33^rd highest career batting average in major league history.  From 1892-1895, their combined batting average exceeded the league average by 92-97 points, the largest gaps in major league history.

Each of these legends, who played before the introduction of uniform numbers, will have their respective uniform insignias from their eras posthumously added to the retired numbers that are prominently featured on the brick wall above Ashburn Alley, as well as individually showcased on the team’s retired number disks at the left field plaza.

“We have an incredible storied history, and as we celebrate our 142^nd birthday, we are proud to immortalize these early legends who were inducted into the esteemed National Baseball Hall of Fame,” said Phillies Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer John Middleton. “Ed Delahanty, Billy Hamilton and Sam Thompson were baseball superstars, and it is only fitting that they be recognized among the Phillies’ greatest on our retired numbers wall, where they will forever be remembered as the three who paved the way for our franchise.”

The Philadelphia Phillies are the oldest continuous, one name, one city franchise in all professional American sports, with the 1883 season being the first in club history. Since that time, the Phillies have retired the numbers of the following players: Chuck Klein and Grover Cleveland Alexander (denoted with their respective uniform insignias); No. 1, Richie Ashburn; No. 14, Jim Bunning; No. 15, Dick Allen; No. 20, Mike Schmidt; No. 32, Steve Carlton; No. 34, Roy Halladay; No. 36, Robin Roberts; and No. 42, Jackie Robinson.

Yeah why not? This is cool. Good initiative. There’s a lot of history in Philadelphia baseball and we don’t always have a full grasp of it because, well, we weren’t alive back then. We have to go by the limited stories, statistics, and annals available to us, so you add these guys’ uniform insignias to the wall and it helps tell the tale for a new generation of fans.

Back in the late 1800s, Major League Baseball only had a National League with 12 teams. The American League wasn’t a thing yet. The Phillies were a pretty good squad and consistently posted winning records under managers Harry Wright and Arthur Irwin. In 1894, specifically, they went 71-57 to finish fourth in the league, behind the Baltimore Orioles, New York Giants, and Boston Beaneaters. They improved to third the following year with a 78-53 record, just missing out on what was then a pre-World Series, two-team postseason bracket.