Fernando Tatis has announced his retirement from baseball, El Deportista reports (link in Spanish). Tatis hadn’t played in the Majors since 2010, but he has played in his native Dominican Republic since then and played in Mexico this year. Tatis last turned up in these pages in early 2013, when he worked out for the Orioles (who ultimately did not sign him).
Tatis’ best season came in 1999, when he hit .298/.404/.553 while hitting 34 home runs (including two grand slams in one inning) as the Cardinals’ starting third baseman. He also played for the Rangers, Expos, Orioles and Mets in a career spanning parts of 11 seasons. He finishes his career with a line of .265/.344/.442 and with career earnings of over $17MM, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Paclypse71
Two grand slams in one inning, not just one game.
LazerTown
was gonna say that.
The odds of that are so improbable.
Lefebvre Believer
Both of those grand slams came off one pitcher, Chan Ho Park. In between those HRs Park also gave up a solo shot to Eli Marrero.
Captain America
Is it retiring when you missed the past 4 seasons?
Metsfan93
Where are Tatis’ career earnings? B-ref tells me he earned about 18 MM, certainly worthy of a footnote when every other retiring player gets his salaries mentioned..
Timothy Bryce
Well that was a blast from the past.
bucs_lose_again
Wasn’t he one of the four Dodgers who hit four consecutive home runs against the Padres in the ninth inning? I’m thinking JD Drew and Nomar were a part of that group as well.
Paulie Walnuts
That was Kent/Drew/Martin/Anderson, Garciaparra won it in the 10th.
I don’t think Tatis ever played for the Dodgers.
bucs_lose_again
Thanks!
Metsfan93
Wasn’t a pitcher part of that too?
Jeffy25
To think the cards considered trading Pujols to the expos instead of Tatis.
Shudder
Ted
I hadn’t heard that, so I Googled it and found a great article from December of 2000 that refers to Pujols as a promising third base prospect (which he was) but who was still at least a year away from being ready for the big leagues. The dude hit .327/37/130 in 2001 and OPS’d 1.013 with just 93 k’s. I think he was ready!
start_wearing_purple
When I lived in MO I had a Cards shirt with his name on it. He was such fun to watch.
connfyoozed .
I always like it when a player has a career, then disappears for a few year, then reinvents himself and returns for a 2nd run at the majors. Tatis did that in the late 2000’s. Props to him, and happy retirement.
Injediwetrust
Ha was just thinking about the 2 HR game. I was in attendance, the only Dodger game I ever saw in Chavez Ravine. I had and extra seat ticket and traded the untorn ticket stub. Got a 1/2 bottle of Lefite Rothschild.