Posted by Matt Sisson on Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 10:47 am

The Boston Red Sox will retire the number of former outfielder and soon to be Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jim Rice on Tuesday before their game with the Oakland Athletics.  Rice’s #14 will be the 7th number retired by the franchise, joining Bobby Doerr (1), Joe Cronin (4), Johnny Pesky (6), Carl Yastrzemski (8), Ted Williams (9) and Carlton Fisk (27). Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 has been retired by all Major League teams.

Rice, who will be the 32nd Red Sox player to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, will be inducted on Sunday, joining outfielder Rickey Henderson, who played in Boston in 2002. Red Sox owner John Henry had this to say about Rice, “As a fan of the game and a steward of this great franchise, it is an honor to be a part of the Red Sox during this special moment in the team’s history, On behalf of our partners and the entire organization, we want to congratulate Jim Rice on his upcoming induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and finally taking his rightful place among the greatest players in the game.  The retirement of his number will be a fitting way to honor one of the most dominant hitters to ever wear a Red Sox uniform.”

Rice, who was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995, ranks third among the club’s all-time leaders in hits, home runs and RBIs.