Pudge Rodriguez officially retires
Washington Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez acknowledges cheers form the crowd before batting during a baseball game against the Florida Marlins in Miami. (Sept. 28, 2011) Credit: AP
Longtime Rangers catcher Ivan "Pudge'' Rodriguez officially announced his retirement Monday afternoon after a 21-year career and was honored during a pregame ceremony.
Girardi, who managed Rodriguez for 33 games in 2008 after the Yankees acquired him from the Tigers for Kyle Farnsworth, said the catcher is a "no- doubt" Hall of Famer because of his offensive numbers, including a .296 career average and 2,844 hits, and a throwing arm that Girardi said was not equaled by anyone else he's seen. In regular-season play, he caught 46 percent of those who ran on him.
"One of the greatest catchers of all time," Girardi said. "Remarkable what he did on the offensive side. Twenty-eight-hundred-plus hits as a catcher is amazing . . . You just didn't run on his teams. He changed the way you played against them."
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