An emotional Jorge Posada officially announced his retirement Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, closing the chapter on a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career.
Posada spent all of his 17 years in the big leagues as a member of the New York Yankees, a feat that is exceedingly rare these days.
“Every time I step through the Yankee Stadium doors, I quote Joe DiMaggio, ‘I want to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee,’” Posada said during his retirement announcement, which was aired on mlb.com. He added, “I could never wear another uniform.”
The five-time World Series champion was in the last year of his contract in 2011, a year that saw him lose his starting catching job to move to DH. “Last year was really tough, not being able to catch, or fight for my job,” he said. Posada relied on teammates who had been with him his entire career, “especially Derek Jeter, who helped me stay focused and positive.” He added with a chuckle, “Hopefully you won’t miss me that much.”
The five-time Silver Slugger-award winner said he had offers from other teams, but valued family time over another season. “I haven’t had a summer with them [kids], so I really want to spend a summer with them.” As his agent fielded offers, he dismissed them because, “I knew in my heart and I knew in my head I didn’t want to play anymore.”
Of all the accolades in Posada’s prestigious career, perhaps his biggest asset was his heart, something no award could measure. In a poignant speech Diana Munson, widow of former Yankees catcher Thurman Munson, credited Posada’s passion for the game to allow her to love baseball again following the loss of her husband. She described the “it factor” he has, one Yankee fans will surely miss.
Though he had never met him, Posada admired Munson, even hanging a newspaper clipping with Munson’s famous quote, “I like hitting fourth and I like the good batting average, but what I do every day behind the plate is a lot more important because it touches so many more people and so many aspects of the game.” Posada made it a point to live up to that standard, something Diana Munson loved watching first hand.
For a kid just wanting to make into the big leagues, Posada certainly made his mark. Comparing his numbers to other Hall of Fame catchers and he seems like a shoe-in. Posada smiled at the possibility, but put the onus on the reporters in the room, “That is up to you guys. Hopefully we can talk about it five years from now.”
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