SEATTLE – Kyle seager announced his retirement Wednesday after 11 seasons in the majors, all with the Seattle Mariners.
Always willing to avoid social media, Seager made his decision known through a short statement posted by his wife, Julie, on his Twitter account.
A note from my husband. pic.twitter.com/Zl5peB3vR2
– Julie Seager (@ JulieSeager15) December 29, 2021
“Thank you to all my family, friends and fans for following me throughout my career. It has been a wonderful journey, but I am incredibly excited for the next chapter of my life,” the statement said.
The 34-year-old Seager became a free agent after the season when Seattle chose not to exercise a club option on his contract. Rather than test the open market and with the uncertainty created by the ongoing lockdown, Seager decided to end his career.
Seager’s retirement is a bit surprising considering he was coming off one of his best seasons. He hit a career-high 35 home runs and had 101 RBIs, also the best of his life, last season when Seattle struggled in playoff contention only to come up short in the final days.
Seager was tearfully pulled from Seattle’s last game on Oct. 3 in the ninth inning after the Mariners had been eliminated from the playoff race.
“That was very special to me. It was a real moment,” Seager said after the season finale. “Obviously, you know this moment is going to happen. You think about it, you think about how you are going to feel, but you can’t prepare for it. That was really special. ”
His brother, the All-Star shortstop Corey seager, finalized a 10-year, $ 325 million contract with the Texas Rangers this offseason.
In 2020, Kyle and Corey hit home runs in a game while facing off. It was the first time that two brothers on rival teams hit home runs in the same game since Felipe and César Crespo did so on June 7, 2001.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Mariners: Kyle Seager retires after 11 seasons