I'll remember the great reception Galarraga received when he came back
to the Expos in 2002. Adios Big Cat, sorry you just missed 400 ...
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Galarraga Retires One Homer Short of 400
NEW YORK (AP) -- Andres Galarraga retired Tuesday after a subpar spring
training with the New York Mets, leaving him a homer shy of 400 for his
career.
The 43-year-old first baseman signed a minor league deal with the Mets
in the offseason after making his second successful return from
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last season.
A five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove in a 19-year career,
Galarraga was hitting just .235 in 17 games for the Mets this spring,
with three home runs and seven RBIs. The Big Cat probably would have
been left off New York's 25-man roster when the team broke camp.
"This is a sad day for me, but I honestly felt it was the right time to
step away," Galarraga said in a statement. "I just wasn't playing up to
the expectations that I have set for myself throughout my entire career,
and I wanted to walk away on my own terms.
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"Playing has been a part of my life for so long, but I just felt this
was the right time to give a younger guy a chance to play."
Galarraga made his big league debut with the Montreal Expos in 1985 and
has played for St. Louis, Colorado, Texas, Atlanta, San Francisco and
the Angels. He finished his career with a .288 batting average, 2,333
hits and 1,425 RBIs in 2,257 games.
With the Rockies, Galarraga hit .370 to win the NL batting title in 1993
and led the league with 47 homers and 150 RBIs in 1996.
"Great, great career. Great man. Great person," Mets manager Willie
Randolph said in Viera, Fla., before New York's game against the
Wa****ngton Nationals.
Referring to whether Galarraga would have made the 25-man roster,
Randolph said: "It was going to be a tough decision. You always want to
go out on your own terms, so I was happy for him. He's one of the
classiest guys in the game."
Randolph expects to see Galarraga stay in baseball.
"He'd be an excellent coach, manager - whatever he wants to be,"
Randolph said.
Galarraga missed the 1999 season after he was diagnosed with
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, then hit .302 with 28 home runs and 100 RBIs
with Atlanta in 2000. The disease reoccurred in November 2003. He
underwent surgery that November and had a stem cell transplant the
following February.
He hit his 399th home run with the Angels in September and signed with
the Mets this offseason, hoping to hit the milestone homer before
calling it quits.
"Today shows you what kind of a class individual Andres is," Mets
general manager Omar Minaya said. "He's always handled things with class
and dignity throughout his entire career, and this afternoon is another
example of his high character.
"He is such a wonderful example to the players of today, and I am going
to miss him terribly. However, I hope one day he will rejoin our
organization again."
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