Nelson Cruz retires at age 43 after hitting 464 homers in 19 seasons
San Diego Padres' Nelson Cruz, right, tosses his bat after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, June 14, 2023, in San Diego. Cruz, a seven-time All-Star and 19-year Major League Baseball veteran, says he is retiring after 19 seasons. Cruz, who is 43, said on Adam Jones' podcast Friday, Nov. 2, 2023, that he plans to play this winter in the Dominican Professional Baseball League. Credit: AP/Denis Poroy
Nelson Cruz says he is retiring at age 43 after hitting 464 home runs in 19 major league seasons.
The seven-time All-Star announced his decision Thursday on The Adam Jones Podcast.
“So this is the last we’re seeing of Nelson Cruz?” Jones asked.
“I think so, yeah,” Cruz responded.
Cruz was released by San Diego on July 10 after batting .245 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 49 games. He had signed a $1 million, one-year contract.
Cruz hit 18 postseason homers and played in consecutive World Series with the Texas Rangers in 2010 and '11. He made five appearances among the top 10 in Most Valuable Player voting.
Cruz hit .274 with 1,325 RBIs for Milwaukee (2005), Texas (2006-13), Baltimore (2014), Seattle (2015-18), Minnesota (2019-21), Tampa Bay (2021), Washington (2022) and San Diego.
San Diego Padres' Nelson Cruz watches his home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, April 4, 2023, in San Diego. Cruz, a seven-time All-Star and 19-year Major League Baseball veteran, says he is retiring after 19 seasons. Cruz, who is 43, said on Adam Jones' podcast Friday, Nov. 2, 2023, that he plans to play this winter in the Dominican Professional Baseball League. Credit: AP/Gregory Bull
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