Blue Jays to retire Alomar’s No. 12 in July

The first player to wear a Toronto Blue Jays hat into the Hall of Fame will also be the first player to have his number retired by the franchise.

Roberto Alomar’s No. 12 will be put out of circulation during a ceremony July 31 before the Blue Jays take on the Texas Rangers.

It will be the second Blue Jays number sent to the rafters. The No. 42 was retired across baseball in 1997 for Jackie Robinson.

“Roberto is a very special part of the Toronto Blue Jays organization and arguably the greatest second baseman of all-time,” Blue Jays president Paul Beeston said in a statement. “His number deserves to be retired so that his contributions and excellence can stand as a model for all those who have the honour of wearing a Blue Jays uniform.”

Alomar, set for induction to Cooperstown this weekend, spent five of his 17 big-league seasons in Toronto, helping the club to a pair of World Series titles.

His ninth-inning home run off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in Game 4 of the 1992 ALCS is considered among the most important hits in club history.

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Alomar was elected to the Hall in January, named on over 90 per cent of the ballots cast by eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

“This is an honour that I was not expecting,” Alomar said in a release. “I knew my numbers were worthy of consideration for the Hall of Fame but for the Blue Jays to select my number 12 to be the first number they retire is a great honour. I am truly blessed to be a Blue Jay and I‘m looking forward to the ceremony on July 31st.”

The most recent Blue Jays player to wear No. 12 was Edwin Encarnacion, who switched to 10 this season. The others are: Tilson Brito; Rich Butler; Willie Greene; Luis Lopez; Tony Phillips; Ernie Whitt; and Kenny Williams.

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