Shortly after the Atlanta Braves lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 13-1 in Game Five of the NLDS, more disappointing news emerged from the clubhouse.
After 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, 10 of which came with the Atlanta Braves, seven-time all-star catcher Brian McCann announced he is retiring. He told the Atlanta media the decision was made a month and a half ago.
Brian McCann is retiring. Says he cherished playing his final season back with #Braves.
— Gabe Burns (@GabeBurnsAJC) October 10, 2019
In his final season, McCann hit 12 home runs with 45 runs batted in. He appeared in 85 games and that number would have been higher had it not been an Injured List stint in August.
Like many other Braves position players, the 2019 postseason was rough for McCann as he went 3-for-16, but he did beat the shift for a single in his next-to-last at-bat.
The goal all along for McCann when he signed a one-year, two million dollar deal last November was to be a veteran presence for the Braves and split the catching duties with Tyler Flowers. Of the 85 games he appeared in, 83 of those were behind the plate.
Even with rumors swirling of the Braves interest in J.T. Realmuto last winter, McCann still wanted to be in Atlanta to finish his stellar career where it had started 14 years earlier.
Brian McCann on his decision to retire: "this is everything I wanted to do. I wanted to come back and get a chance at the Postseason. This is it for me. I'm going to go home, be a dad and play with those kids" #Braves
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) October 10, 2019
McCann was apart of the “Baby Braves “ in 2005, which was the end of the organization’s 14-year dominance atop the NL East. He would spend the next eight seasons in Atlanta before signing a five-year deal with the New York Yankees in 2014.
The Yankees traded McCann after the 2016 season to the Houston Astros where he would help them win the World Series in 2017.
He hit 188 home runs and drove in 706 runs for the Braves, while earning seven all-star game appearances and winning five Silver Slugger Awards.
It would have been great for McCann to get back to the World Series with his hometown team, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
So here is a tip of the cap to the greatest catcher in Braves history.
Thanks for everything, Mac.