Nelson Cruz finished off his duties by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the Seattle Mariners opened the season against the Boston Red Sox, walking to a small stand behind home plate.
There, he signed a ceremonial one-day contract allowing Cruz to retire as a member of the Mariners before the season opener Thursday night.
Cruz announced his retirement after last season. He spent parts of 19 seasons in the majors with eight different organizations.
His longest tenure was eight seasons at Texas early in his career.
But Cruz had four impactful seasons in Seattle from 2015-2018.
He was a three-time All-Star with Seattle, led the league with 119 RBIs in 2017, and hit 163 home runs in four seasons, more than he hit in parts of eight seasons at Texas. ing.
Cruz said his special connection to Seattle was the reason he decided to retire with the Mariners.
“Even though I played as a Ranger for many years, I always identified myself as a Mariner,” Cruz said.
Cruz finished his career with 464 home runs, a .274 batting average, and 1,325 RBI.
Last season, his final year, he played in 49 games with San Diego.
