Jason Kipnis, who was known to domestic fans by eating rice with Choo Shin-soo (currently SSG Landers) during his time with the Cleveland Guardians (then Indians), has officially announced his retirement.메이저놀이터
On the 21st (Korean time), Kipnis tweeted, “If I say I want to write this, it would be a lie. But now I have to admit that my time as a baseball player is officially over.”
He first stepped on the big league stage in 2011 and wore a Cleveland uniform. Since then, he has risen to the starting lineup and formed the top batting line with Choo Shin-soo and Michael Brantley.
Kipnis had a career batting average of .260 with 126 homers, 545 RBIs, 607 runs scored and an OPS of .750, and was selected as an All-Star twice.
His last major league appearance was the 2020 season, when he played for the Chicago Cubs. He tried to re-enter the 2021 season by signing a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves, but was eventually released at the end of the season.
Since then, there have been rumors that he has retired due to lack of movement, and on this day, he officially announced his retirement from active play.
Kipnis said to Cleveland, where he played for nine years, “Thank you for choosing me. I wanted to represent the city every time I went out on the field. There were ups and downs in my career, but I really did my best. I will never forget that moment,” he said.
He said, “Finally, thank you for baseball. It has really affected my life and made my dreams come true. Also, it made me who I am today. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to do it. No regrets at all. I will remain a baseball fan forever.”