Kluszewski Made a Cut Above

The Cincinnati Reds honored the late Ted Kluszewski on Saturday by displaying his number on a replica jersey--one without sleeves, which was his trademark.

The 9-foot replica with Kluszewski’s No. 18 was unveiled behind the left-field wall. He is the third former Reds player to have his number retired this season, after Frank Robinson and Joe Morgan.

Kluszewski’s jersey is eye-catching because it has no sleeves. The first baseman with massive upper arms got so frustrated with the tight flannel shirts the Reds wore in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s that he cut off the sleeves.

He was known as “Big Klu” when he played for the Reds from 1947-57. He hit 251 homers for Cincinnati, the most by a Reds’ left-hander, and led the National League with 49 homers and 141 RBIs in 1954.

Kluszewski later played for Pittsburgh, the Chicago White Sox and Angels before retiring following the 1961 season. He hit .391 with three homers for the White Sox in the 1959 World Series won by the Dodgers.

Kluszewski died in Cincinnati on March 29, 1988.