SWAMPSCOTT — Johnny Pesky's friends have long pitched the idea that he belongs in Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame.

Despite producing a .306 batting average in 10 seasons and having a reputation as a consummate team player, Pesky has never been seriously considered for enshrinement in Cooperstown, N.Y.

But even if he had, it would be overshadowed by the honor that was bestowed on him by the Red Sox last night, when it was announced that the 88-year-old Pesky will have his number retired in a ceremony Friday night. Pesky's No. 6 will be placed on the upper-deck facade alongside the numbers that belonged to teammates Ted Williams (No. 9) and Bobby Doerr (No. 1).

The former shortstop reacted in his typical unassuming manner at a Fenway Park press conference last night.

"I appreciate this. This is very flattering to me," Pesky said. "To still be with the Red Sox, I'm very proud of that.

"I wish I could've been a better player," said Pesky, who might have built Hall of Fame credentials if he hadn't spent three of his prime athletic years in the military. "I did play with some great guys like Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, Tex Hughson and Dave Ferris. I wasn't in the Ted Williams or Bobby Doerr class, but I played with some good guys."

Because of his ties to the Red Sox, which go back to 1940 when he was signed by Boston as an amateur free agent, the retiring of his number by the team is probably the most meaningful baseball-related honor he's ever received, according to his son David.

"Dad is over the moon about it," said David Pesky, 54, who lives in Gloucester but spends considerable time at his father's home in Swampscott. "It's the kind of thing that he never thought would happen. He made the cut, and we're very pleased.

"This is the biggest honor the Red Sox could give him. Nothing else would have the same meaning. It's really important to him."

Pesky will be joining a very exclusive club of retired numbers at Fenway Park. In addition to Williams and Doerr, both of whom Pesky counted as close friends, the other Red Sox players who have been commemorated are Carlton Fisk (No. 27), Joe Cronin (No. 4) and Carl Yastrzemski (No. 8). Meanwhile, Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier with the old Brooklyn Dodgers, has had his No. 42 retired at every big league ballpark.

"Dad knew all those guys," David Pesky said. "He knew all of them so well and so many others, too. He hit against Satchel Paige, and he met Babe Ruth. He's been through all those (eras).

"Jim Rice said something funny about my father before (last night's) game. Young players still go to him (for advice), so Rice said, 'Why shouldn't they? Johnny is as old as dirt.' Very appropriate, I thought."

Pesky played seven years with the Red Sox and began his career with three straight 200-hit seasons. He finished up with the Detroit Tigers in 1954, but he's spent 57 of his 69 baseball years with Boston, serving also as a broadcaster, manager, bench assistant and ambassador. He was a one-man version of Red Sox Nation long before that term was applied to the Sox fans.

He's always worn his Red Sox loyalty on his sleeve, and perhaps that trait was rewarded with this latest move by the team, which had to bend the rules in order to retire Pesky's number. In previous instances, players had to have spent 10 years with the Sox, must have retired with the team and had to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pesky didn't qualify under that criteria, but the organization was strong in supporting his candidacy.

"I think Johnny Pesky's case cries out for this," team president Larry Lucchino told The Associated Press. "It's an achievement we will be doing with great pride, admiration and gratitude."

Meanwhile, in Swampscott, the news was greeted with great joy by Pesky's friends.

"This is long overdue," said Richard O'Neill, who usually drives Pesky to Fenway Park. "Johnny has to be the most humble guy I've ever met, and I've been around for 69 years. If you cut him open, the Red Sox themselves would fall out. He's always considered the Red Sox a great organization.

"You know, he won't say much (about this honor) when he comes home. He's very quiet. We've got, what, 14,000 people in Swampscott, and 10,000 of them don't know he lives here. But he's an unbelievable friend. He's always there for his friends."

David Pesky doesn't have to wish or dream anymore that his father's No. 6 will be posted up alongside the other Red Sox legends. He'll be able to see it for himself starting Friday when the Sox play the New York Yankees.

"He absolutely deserves it," he said of his father. "The team came through for him. Now we'll be able to go to a game, see the No. 6 up there and think about him. I hope to be doing it 20 years from now, too."