When Torii Hunter signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract to return to the Minnesota Twins last offseason, many speculated this could be his final year in the MLB.
Hunter made that official on Monday.
"I've been married to the game 23 years," Hunter told La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "I put it almost No. 1 in my life. My family kind of second. I made sacrifices for my family. And now it is time to give them more time."
"I'm sad because it's all I've known for half of my life," Hunter said. "This great game of baseball has done so much for me. I have learned a lot of lessons. ... I still love the game, but time has taken a toll on me mentally and physically."
The MLB honored Hunter shortly after the announcement was made public.
After 19 years, 5 All-Star games & 9 Gold Glove awards, @toriihunter48 announces retirement. https://t.co/e53ajBws2S pic.twitter.com/xVQSpn3Mj1
— MLB (@MLB) October 27, 2015
His teammates and agent tried to convince him to play one more season, but Hunter ultimately decided to hang up his cleats after talking to his family about it.
The 40-year-old finished his 19-year MLB career with a .277/.331/.461 stat line and recorded 1,296 runs scored, 353 home runs, 1,391 RBI and 195 stolen bases in 2,372 career games. Hunter also finished his career with a .990 fielding percentage, which backs his nine Gold Gloves. He logged 12 seasons with the Twins, five with the Los Angeles Angels and two with the Detroit Tigers.
Check out the five-time All-Star's best moments below.
Here's Hunter giving the crowd their money's worth after being ejected from a game in June:
Here he is being hilarious in a post-game interview:
And here are the countless highlights throughout his career:
