Former Florida Marlins catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez announced his retirement on Monday night prior to the Texas Rangers home game against the New York Yankees. He played only one season with the Marlins in 2003 and led the team to a world championship plus he won the National League Championship Series MVP award.
Rodriguez began his baseball career with Texas Rangers and played there for 12 years until 2002. He helped the team win three American League West division titles in the late 1990's. He also won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1999.
During his time in Major League Baseball, he won 13 Gold Gloves awards which is the most ever by a catcher. In addition, he played the most games as a catcher in baseball history at 2,427. In addition, he holds the record for most hits by a catcher. Rodriguez finished with a .296 batting average, 311 home runs and 1,332 RBIs in a 21-season career.
Rodriguez finished his playing career with the Washington Nationals in 2011. He was the starting catcher for them in the final game ever played by the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. He was honored by the Marlins following the game in a closing ceremony for the franchise. He was selected in a fan ballot as the best catcher in Marlins history. In addition, his tag on J.T. Snow to end the 2003 Wild Card Playoff Series against the San Francisco Giants was voted one of the top ten greatest moments in Florida Marlins history.
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