Troy Tulowitzki announced his retirement on Thursday, spending the final season of an illustrious career with the New York Yankees.
Five-time Major League Baseball All-Star Troy Tulowitzki announced his retirement on Thursday. The shortstop spent what became the final year of his career with the New York Yankees. Tulowitzki made his announcement through a team-released statement.
Troy Tulowitzki has released a statement through the Yankees announcing his retirement: pic.twitter.com/dbOjPrwyLq
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 25, 2019
“For as long as I can remember, my dream was to compete at the highest level as a Major League Baseball player,” Tulowitzki wrote. “To wear a big league uniform and play hard for my teammates and the fans. I will forever be grateful for every day that I’ve had to live out my dream. It has been an absolute honor.”
Tulowitzki signed a one-year deal with the Yankees in January. He was the team’s starting shortstop on Opening Day while Didi Gregorius recovered from an injury. He would play in just five games in New York before a calf strain sidelined him. Tulowitzki would be placed on the 60-day injured list in June. He picked up the final two hits of a 13-year career with the team. The final hit was a solo home run in the second game of the season against Baltimore.
In another New York connection, Tulowitzki made his MLB debut against the New York Mets in August of 2006. He earned his first career hit via an infield single off Oliver Perez in his second game.
The shortstop made a name for himself as a member of the Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays. He was named to five All-Star teams (2010-11, 2013-15) and won a pair of Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards (both 2010-11). Tulowitzki goes down as one of the best fielders in MLB history, percentage-wise at least. His .9846 fielding percentage goes down as the second-best all-time.
In his first full season in 2007, Tulowitzki turned the 13th unassisted triple play in MLB history. He would later help guide the Rockies to their first World Series appearance in that same year. Notably, he had three extra-base hits and scored the tying run in Colorado’s extra-innings win in a one-game playoff against San Diego. The Rockies would defeat Philadelphia and Arizona before falling in the Fall Classic against the Red Sox.
Tulowitzki’s 1,165 hits, 188 home runs, and 657 runs batted in are all good for seventh-most in a Colorado uniform. He would be traded to Toronto in July 2015 and became part of the Blue Jays’ first division champion squad and playoff team since 1993. Toronto would go on to defeat Texas in five games in the Division Series before falling to the eventual champions from Kansas City.
Injuries defined the final stages of Tulowitzki’s otherwise strong career. He played just 71 games over the past three years, missing the 2018 campaign entirely with bone spurs. He retires with 1,391 hits, 225 home runs, and 780 RBI’s over his 13 seasons.
The current crop of Yankees will head to Boston to battle their divisional rivals starting Thursday at Fenway Park (7:10 p.m. ET, YES).
