<P> In 2008, the Red Sox made an "exception" by retiring #6 for Johnny Pesky . Pesky neither spent ten years as a player nor was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; however, Red Sox ownership cited "...his versatility of his contributions--on the field, off the field, (and) in the dugout ...", including as a manager, scout, and special instructor and decided that the honor had been well - earned . Pesky spent 57 years with the Red Sox organization; as a minor league player (1940 - 1941), major league player (1942, 1946--1952), minor league manager (1961--1962, 1990), major league manager (1963--1964, 1980), broadcaster (1969--1974), major league coach (1975--1984), and as a special instructor and assistant general manager (1985--2012). </P> <P> In 2015, the Red Sox chose to forgo the official criteria and retire Pedro Martínez's #45 . Martínez only spent 7 of his 18 seasons in Boston . In justifying the number's retirement, Red Sox principal owner John Henry stated, "To be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility speaks volumes regarding Pedro's outstanding career, and is a testament to the respect and admiration so many in baseball have for him ." After which, the official criteria no longer appeared on the team website nor future media guides . </P> <P> In 2017, less than eight months after he played the final game of his illustrious career, David Ortiz had his #34 retired by the Red Sox . Ortiz will not be eligible for election to the Hall of Fame until 2022 . Ortiz is the only Red Sox player to have won three World Series championships since the issuance of jersey numbers starting in 1931 . </P> <P> The number 42 was officially retired by Major League Baseball in 1997, but Mo Vaughn was one of a handful of players to continue wearing #42 through a grandfather clause . He last wore it for the team in 1998 . In commemoration of Jackie Robinson Day, MLB invited players to wear the number 42 for games played on April 15, Coco Crisp (CF), David Ortiz (DH), and DeMarlo Hale (Coach) did that in 2007 and again in 2008 . Starting in 2009, MLB had all uniformed players for all teams wear #42 for Jackie Robinson Day . </P>

Where do the red sox get their name