Fisher Cats to Retire Chris Carpenter's Jersey Number
MANCHESTER, N.H. - The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, announced today that they will retire New Hampshire native and 2005 Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter's jersey number on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Carpenter will be in attendance as his No. 29 will be retired to the right field wall before the game, commemorating the great career of one of New Hampshire's favorite sons.
"We are fortunate that Chris has never lost touch with his home state," said Fisher Cats President and General Manager, Rick Brenner. "His continued contributions to the state of New Hampshire are a perfect illustration of the New Hampshire spirit. His tremendous success on the field is exceeded only by his outstanding character and his commitment to his community. We are proud to retire No. 29 in his honor."
A native of Raymond, Carpenter burst onto the scene in his high school years, leading Trinity High School to a state championship in 1992. A year later, his professional career began when the Toronto Blue Jays drafted the powerful righty with the 15th overall pick in the first round of that year's draft.
He was in the big leagues just a few years later, debuting on May 12, 1997 against the Minnesota Twins. After six season with the Blue Jays, his legend grew when he moved to the National League.
After missing all of 2003 with the first of several injuries, he returned in 2004 to win 15 games for the St. Louis Cardinals, who eventually lost to the Red Sox in the World Series. A year later, he put together a season for the ages, winning 21 games en route to the National League Cy Young Award. He repeated his All-Star play in 2006 as the Cardinals won the first of two World Series titles with the right-hander leading the way.
Over 15 seasons, he won 144 games, an impressive number considering he lost nearly three full seasons due to injury in his prime years. His playoff numbers rank among the best the game has seen, with ten victories including a 3-0 mark in the World Series.
A three-time All-Star, he finished in the top three in Cy Young voting with the Cardinals on three occasions.
While never playing for the Fisher Cats, Carpenter has constantly shown his tremendous support of New Hampshire. Among other initiatives, he has made it a point to return home every year for the Granite State Baseball Dinner, which raises money for three organizations that work to better the lives of children, something Carpenter continues to pursue to this day.
Carpenter's No. 29 jersey will join Jackie Robinson's No. 42, which has been retired by all affiliated baseball teams. The first number retired by the Fisher Cats was the badge number, 83, of Manchester police officer Michael Briggs, who was killed in the line of duty in 2006.
The ceremony for Carpenter's number retirement will take place at 6 p.m. prior to the game on Sept. 2 against the Portland Sea Dogs.
There are just seven chances left to see the Fisher Cats this season starting Friday night when the team opens a weekend series against the Binghamton Mets. The set includes two Atlas Fireworks shows, a Don Zimmer Bobblehead, and a visit by lovable television character Daniel Tiger. Fans can get their tickets by calling 603-641-2005, by visiting the Fisher Cats website at www.nhfishercats.com, or by stopping by the box office during regular business hours.