Even behind the mask that Jorge Posada could not hide his feelings. And maybe his heart was protected by the chest protector, but always seems to face.
For 17 years, and put everything that Posada Yankees fans to see. On good days, he smiled. On bad days, writhing. Let's Inn when I felt I had respect for opponents, the referee injustice or ill-treatment by the director, you know.
"It's me," Posada said Tuesday, officially announced his retirement at a news conference at Yankee Stadium great. He added: "I could not change that."
Even on the first day when he was given the royal treatment. One day, when his colleagues past and present came out to honor. Today, when Diana Munson, widow of the late Thurman Munson Yankee fishing, talked about how Posada, the catcher, who said her husband brave, who helped him fall in love with the Yankees and baseball.
On the day, as developed primarily for the No. 20 will one day be retired and displayed in the garden of the building, can not hide the pain Posada final season.
"We should not be able to catch," Posada said. "Not being able to fight for my work. Those were hard times."
He said goodbye to the ideal.
Because it was the right to change the status of Posada for the occasion. He felt aggrieved that the Yankees will not let you get behind the plate, even in spring training, the battle for the work they had won in 1998 at the age of not-so-26.
He spoke on Tuesday to turn the wrath of those who are asked to return for second in the league base motivation too light to play the position well.
"I worked hard on the situation," he said. "With the passage of time took a lot of pride in my defense."
Certainly, the explorers of all agreements that Posada's defensive skills have eroded. In late 2011, said there is no doubt that the Yankees paid staff benefited from the work of Russell Martin behind the plate. But this does not mean that Posada was not. It strives to adapt to life like throwing all the time is worse.
Everything in it is well told by now, but it was a day in mid-May when, after learning he was about to hit ninth against the Red Sox, Posada asked me out of the lineup. Was a hitting .165 at the time and initially tried to say that his back was to him the problem. Later that was more or less admitted that he was wounded ego, saying: ". I just had a bad day"
In August, the Yankees face Boston again, and Posada hit .230, had given and said that through Joe Girardi can not be returned to the lineup. Posada appeared officially said, his voice cracking, "said Joe was going to put the best variety in this area." On that day, it is unlikely that Posada is obtained from any other time in another sense, the bat.
But Posada, 24 projects more than Beck, who first came to the big leagues in September 1995 but could not penetrate the full-time starter until 1998, left his mark never gives up at bat. Or whatever.
And so it seemed for the rest of the season, whenever he received a blow, he made sure it was a big one. It was a game in six RBIs against lightning on August 13. Homer and Tim Wakefield on September 25 also helped in setting the Red Sox Yankees to rest. Enough is being done in the last month of the season to win the position of designated hitter against right-handed pitchers in the postseason.
There, in the presentation of the best battles against Justin Verlander and Doug Fister of most of his colleagues. Plate appearance in 19 of the ALD, Posada picked up four hits and walked four.
"That was his desire to win," Girardi said. "His passion. A fire."
This is how it should be remembered Posada.
"It was a hard game to watch him go through his struggles," said Derek Jeter, Posada and his best friend back to Columbus in 1995. "But it was also great to see him persevere. In the postseason, when I was one of the men who come after us, and very proud."
Posada was placed in the at-bats against the Tamil Tigers to "make it easier to return to their homes." Cried after losing Game 5 for the Tigers in front of reporters, but will not admit that he had reached the end of the road. Tuesday, and said that Jeter had known "for some time," said the man was calling his brother would call a career.
"It would be difficult," said Jeter. "..? Not only in the field or is a man who was with the outside pitch for a long time there are now plenty of food, you know" And when asked who locker next to him now, Jeter, joked, "I know I need to see. some biographies."
Said Gary Denbo, one of the many coaches Yankees Posada thanked for his farewell address to the friendship between Jeter and Posada: "I can see two of them still on the table for a walk around the school complex in the league, when was nobody around, wondering when we can hit when. we go to work. These are the two took to each other. "
Jeter said: "I have always said that I think the same way about the game. And everything feels Jorge, I feel the same way. I better not show."
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