CHICAGO (AP) — Ozzie Guillen got quite a surprise when the Chicago White Sox informed him on Friday that they will retire his No. 13 this season.
The team caught the former All-Star shortstop and World Series-winning manager off guard by announcing he will be honored prior to the game against Cleveland on Aug. 8.
“What a great surprise it was,” Guillen said. “Especially opening day, the way they did it.”
Former White Sox star Scott Podsednik broke the news to his old manager during the telecast of the home opener against Toronto. Guillen, a pregame and postgame analyst for Chicago Sports Network, got choked up as the crowd chanted “Ozzie! Ozzie!”
“I always try to represent the White Sox the best I can,” he said. “It’s something I will appreciate for the rest of my life.”
Guillen will become the first manager and 13th member of the organization to have his number retired. That includes Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, pitcher Mark Buehrle and slugger Paul Konerko — players he managed on the 2005 championship team.
Guillen was a three-time All-Star for the White Sox from 1985 to 1997 during a 16-year career. He compiled a 678-617 record as their skipper from 2004 to 2011 and became baseball’s first Latino manager to win a World Series when the 2005 team captured the franchise’s first championship since 1917.
“Ozzie is truly one of a kind, and his passion for baseball and the White Sox is unmatched. Ozzie’s knowledge of the game, combined with his energy and ability to motivate his teams, helped deliver a World Series Championship to White Sox fans and the city of Chicago after an 88-year drought,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said. “The number 13 has always belonged to Ozzie in the hearts of our fans, and this season, we wanted to make it official by retiring his number. Like many of the White Sox legends, there will never be another 13.”
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