Atlanta Braves: Brian McCann announces his retirement
After 15 seasons of playing baseball at a high level, Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann announced his retirement.
Brian McCann, a Georgia native who always dreamed of playing for his hometown team, the Atlanta Braves, announced his retirement following the 13-1 loss in Game 5 of the NLDS yesterday.
McCann has been a staple behind the dish for the Atlanta Braves ever since his debut in 2005 as a 21-year old. McCann’s journey has included just three stops, playing for the Braves for 9 years, then shifting to the Bronx for the New York Yankees for three seasons, the Houston Astros for two seasons and then finishing at home this past season for the Braves.
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The seven-time All-Star put up some impressive numbers throughout his career. He finishes with a career slash line of .262/.337/.452 with 282 home runs and 1,018 RBI’s.
One of the more impressive stats for McCann is his strikeout rate. He never had a season with more than 100 strikeouts. He only struck out 640 times in 6,850 plate appearances. In today’s game, that is pretty rare with most guys swinging for the fences.
Brian McCann was also fortunate to be a part of the Astros team who won the World Series last season over the Los Angeles Dodgers. I’m glad he at least had the chance to be a champion as he deserved it.
McCann holds a special place in Braves fans hearts. When he broke into the league he was playing alongside legends John Smoltz and Chipper Jones while also playing under legendary manager Bobby Cox.
Don't be shocked if Houston Astros lose game five. dark. Next
Now I know McCann would rather have ended his career with a second World Series title and to tell you the truth I was rooting for them to make it. Unfortunately, we can’t always get what we want and McCann will have to settle for the one title, but something tells me he’s okay with that.