1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 27, 42?

The Herald is reporting today that Johnny Pesky, the man who has had his hand in just about every aspect of Boston Red Sox baseball over the course of his life, is likely to be given a very special birthday present this weekend at Fenway Park. Pesky is expected to join the ranks of Bobby Doerr, Joe Cronin, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk and Jackie Robinson, as the baseball players whose numbers are retired at Fenway Park, and the logical day for this honor would be Saturday, Pesky's 89th birthday.

If the Sox do retire Pesky's number, they would be required to revise their current rules for number retirement. At present, a player must play at least ten seasons for the Red Sox, finish his career in Boston and be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pesky, as the Herald notes, is not a Hall of Famer, although many contend that he would have earned a spot in the Hall had he been able to play during the three seasons he served in the US military.

On Pesky's 87th birthday in 2006, the Sox officially dubbed the right field foul pole Pesky's Pole. Last year, he was given a huge birthday cake and a Fenway Park birthday serenade. We would imagine, however, that 89 might be the sweetest birthday yet, should this report proves true.

Photo of Johnny Pesky by flickr user Phil Romans.