Joey Votto is calling it a career, and he couldn’t have done it in a more typical way.
There was no retirement tour, no destiny-fulfilling grind back to the majors to play for the Toronto Blue Jays, and no big ceremony. Just a nine-second video posted to Instagram with Votto announcing to the world that his baseball career had come to an end. If there’s one player that would almost ‘Irish exit’ his playing career, it’s him.
In his post to social media, Votto took the time to thank teammates, coaches, communities, organizations and everyone who helped him along the way. He also threw in some jabs, in typical Votto fashion.
“To the MLB fans. You energized me with your cheers, I loved the boos, the trash talk, the moments where I broke a road cities moment, or was humbled on stage,” Votto said in his post. “I’ll never forget, early in my career, my first time at Wrigley Field and the crowd standing and cheering toward my failure. I remember standing at the plate, smiling and thinking, this is my home. I belong here.
“I was myself in this sport. I was able to be my best self. I played this sport with every last ounce of my body, heart, and mind.”
The six-time all-star and former NL MVP established himself as one of the greatest Cincinnati Reds of all time, spending all 17 years of his major league career with the Ohioan team. Hailing from Toronto, Ont., he will also go down as one of the best Canadian players of all time.
He finishes his career with a career .294 batting average and .920 OPS. He also has 356 career home runs, the 92nd-most all-time and the fourth-most among active players.
Though the 40-year-old tried to crack a major league roster once more this year, signing with the Blue Jays on a minor league deal in the off-season, a trip back to the majors with his hometown team didn’t come to fruition.
“Toronto + Canada, I wanted to play in front of you,” Votto said in his Instagram post. “Sigh, I tried with all my heart to play for my people. I’m just not good anymore. Thank you for all the support during my attempt.”
Despite missing out on the storybook ending, fans from Canada, Cincinnati and across the baseball world were quick to thank and praise Votto for a stellar MLB career. Here are some of the best reactions.
