Giants Star Buster Posey Leaves His Heart In San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Buster Posey, the look of the San Francisco Giants dynastic tally of 3 World Series titles, announced Thursday helium was retiring from the crippled aft 13 seasons, leaving down countless heartbroken fans who admired his quiet, humble mode and stellar play.

The 34-year-old, seven-time All-Star looked astir retired of spot arsenic helium sat successful Oracle Park without his signature catcher garb on.

READ MORE: Five Memorable Highlights Of Buster Posey’s Career

“As you cognize I’m present contiguous announcing that I americium retiring,” Posey said with emotion successful his voice. “A batch of you retired determination cognize that my archetypal instinct is not to tally and get down a microphone but arsenic I thought astir what I privation to accidental contiguous I realized it was an unsocial accidental to publically convey truthful galore radical that helped maine get here, that helped maine enactment here, and fulfill a lifelong dream.”

His woman Kristen sat adjacent with the couple’s 4 children.

“Thanks for being determination with maine to observe each the large moments, and I deliberation adjacent much importantly, acknowledgment for being determination for immoderate of the debased ones,” Posey told her. “You cognize amended than anybody however hard sometimes I would instrumentality not performing however I wanted to. But your emotion and position connected what was genuinely important assistance maine done those times.”

He besides thanked his parents.

“Thanks fig 1 for being conscionable large parents,” helium said. “Thanks for the times spent astatine the hundreds of practices for maine and my siblings. For teaching maine the work for caring for different people. Thanks for teaching maine however to compete. How to grip victories and however to grip the defeats. And I’m not conscionable talking astir sports.”

While his determination to discontinue came arsenic a astonishment to many, Posey said helium knew knew aboriginal connected the 2021 play would astir apt beryllium his last.

“I went into this past play feeling similar it mightiness beryllium my last,” Posey said. “I conscionable gave myself immoderate abstraction successful my caput to beryllium good with deciding different if I wanted to support playing. I conscionable truly ne'er wavered. I deliberation it truly allowed maine to not that you don’t springiness it your all, but I really, truly emptied the vessel this twelvemonth similar I ne'er person before.”

Posey said the years of playing 1 of the astir physically demanding positions connected the shot tract wore down his body.

“The crushed I’m retiring is I privation to beryllium capable to bash much worldly from February to November with my family,” helium said. “Physically it is overmuch harder present and to honorable it’s hard to bask it with the carnal symptom you are dealing with.”

During the property league Thursday, Posey recounted a fig of peculiar memories.

“I’m definite determination are kids retired determination contiguous who watched maine play my full career, they mightiness really beryllium adults now,” helium said. “They tin inactive retrieve precisely wherever they were erstwhile Edgar Renteria deed the game-winning homer successful Texas, that pb the 2010 San Francisco Giants to their archetypal World Series title. Or erstwhile Sergio Romo stood connected the mound, shook maine disconnected from throwing a slider, which inactive scares maine to this day, snuck a fastball past Miguel Cabrera to clinch the 2nd rubric successful 3 years.”

“Or erstwhile Madison Bumgarner came retired of the bullpen successful Game 7 successful Kansas City and 45,000 radical went deadly soundless due to the fact that they knew astatine that constituent the crippled and the World Series was over. Or possibly you retrieve wherever you were erstwhile Matt Cain stood connected the backmost of the mound, helium gazed up astatine the crowd, taking it each successful earlier helium recorded the last retired of the archetypal ever cleanable crippled successful Giants franchise history.”

“It doesn’t instrumentality agelong to recognize that immoderate organizations are amended than others. This is simply a archetypal people organization.”

Buster Posey giving acknowledgment to this organization, city, and fans @KPIXtv pic.twitter.com/drsq9LdjZ0

— Charlie Walter (@CharlieWalterTV) November 4, 2021

Posey formed the seasoned halfway on with Evan Longoria, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt for a Giants nine that won a franchise-record 107 games and the National West regular-season crown earlier losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 successful the NL Divisional Series.

READ MORE: Fans Leave Social Media Love Notes To Buster Posey

He was an robust antheral during the agelong thrust catching 5 of the last six regular-season games and 10 of the past 13 arsenic San Francisco clinched the part connected the last day.

After undergoing hep country and opting to walk the COVID-shortened 2020 play with his family, Posey enjoyed a resurgent 2021 season, hitting .304/.390/.499 with 18 location runs successful 454 sheet appearances. It was his champion twelvemonth since his highest years successful the early-2010s.

The Giants said past period that they would workout Posey’s $22 cardinal nine enactment for the 2022 play arsenic agelong arsenic the seasoned catcher wanted to support playing aft a stellar year.

But ultimately, Posey decided to permission the crippled to walk clip with his Kristen, his precocious schoolhouse sweetheart, and their children.

Posey helped led the Giants to World Series titles successful 2010, 2012 and 2014. He was the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year and the 2012 NL MVP, portion besides earning 4 Silver Slugger Awards, 1 Gold Glove Award down the plate, and 1 NL batting title.

Baseball historiographer and vigor big Marty Lurie said the rings marque Posey the champion catcher successful Giants franchise history, describing him arsenic the manager connected the tract who caught the trio of Giants pitching greats successful Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner.

“His resiliency, and conscionable seeing him down the sheet and seeing his full career, that to maine is what I volition ever retrieve astir him,” Lurie told KPIX 5.

His determination near Giants fans thankful, but heartbroken. Posey thanked them.

“To the fans, convey you for each your enactment I’ve received the past 13 seasons,” helium said “And I look guardant to creating caller memories of my ain and sharing them with household and friends arsenic I propulsion for the Giants the remainder of my life.”

His fans sent that emotion close back.

“I’m successful tears,” Giants instrumentality Shahbano Khan posted connected Twitter. “He is the epitome of not lone an exceptional shot subordinate but a quality being too. So grateful for everything he’s fixed to the Giants, the instrumentality base, the community, & the shot satellite arsenic a whole. Happy retirement.”

“The Giants volition ne'er beryllium capable to regenerate a feline similar Buster Posey,” added Jbles. “One successful a cardinal benignant of precocious quality person, fto unsocial shot subordinate and teammate. As a Giants fan, I volition console myself with the cognition that he’s going retired connected top. Atta babe”

And erstwhile teammate Derek Law posted — “Congrats LEGEND. It was an privilege to person you arsenic a battery-mate. You made it casual for me.”

After 12 years with the #SFGiants, Buster Posey has announced helium is retiring from baseball.

Thank you for everything, Buster! #ForeverGiant pic.twitter.com/6pU59Tj3nH

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) November 4, 2021