After putting on a hitting clinic for 15 years, Howie Kendrick announced Monday on Instagram that he’s retiring from Major League Baseball.
Kendrick wrote on Instagram, “I will always love the game of baseball and will constantly reflect on the lifelong memories made. For now, it’s time to drop the mic and enter a new stage of my life.”
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The 37-year-old put together a .294/.337/.430 slash line over 15 years with the Los Angeles Angeles (2006-14), Los Angeles Dodgers (2015-16), Philadelphia Phillies (2017), and Washington Nationals (2017-2020. Kendrick was named to the AL All-Star team while with the Angels, but — along with just consistently being a really good hitter — he’ll be most remembered for his remarkable season for the 2019 World Series champion Nationals.
The second baseman had a .344/.395/.572 slash line for the Nationals in 2019, and came up with many big hits in the postseason. He hit a go-ahead grand slam in Game 5 of the NLDS vs the Dodgers that put the Nationals into the NLCS.
HOWIE. KENDRICK. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/ta232QleMx
— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2019
In the NLCS, he was named MVP after going 5-for-15 with four doubles and two walks in 17 plate appearances. And in Game 7 of the World Series, Kendrick hit a go-ahead two-run homer vs the Houston Astros in Game 7.
Kendrick battled hamstring and back injuries in 2020, and had a .275/.320/.385 slash line in 100 plate appearances. He can still really hit (at least if healthy), but after a highly productive and lengthy career that includes being a recent World Series hero, it’s understandable that Kendrick would want to go out now.