Giants to retire Will Clark's No. 22 next year

The San Francisco Giants announced Sunday during a pregame ceremony honoring the 1989 National League championship team that Will Clark's No. 22 will be retired next year.

Clark, now a special assistant with the team, was joined on the field for the announcement by several other former Giants from the team that lost to the Oakland Athletics in the '89 World Series.

"To be forever linked with the greatest who have ever played this sport here in San Francisco, it's absolutely amazing,'' Clark told the crowd.

Clark will become just the second former Giants player to have his number retired without being in the Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds is the other.

"To know I'm going to be out on that wall with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Barry Bonds ... is absolutely unbelievable.

"It's something I'll never forget. This is my hall of fame. Thank you, thank you, thank you," Clark told the crowd.

Clark was a five-time All-Star in his eight seasons with the Giants and finished second in NL MVP voting in 1989. The former first baseman also won a Gold Glove in 1991. He hit .299 with 176 home runs and 709 RBIs in 1,160 games for San Francisco. He retired from baseball in 2000 with a career batting average of .303 in 15 seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.