Rockies OF Blackmon retiring after 14 MLB seasons

DENVER (AP) — Four-time All-Star Charlie Blackmon will retire at the end of the season after spending his entire major-league career with the Colorado Rockies.

The outfielder known for his bushy beard announced his decision Monday. The Rockies will celebrate Blackmon throughout their final homestand this week and hold a tribute for him before the season finale Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Blackmon spent 14 seasons with the team and is the franchise's all-time leader in triples (67). He's also second in games played (1,618), runs scored (991), hits (1,797), doubles (333), extra-base hits (626) and total bases (2,942). Blackmon won an NL batting title in 2017 with a .331 average.

In a post on Instagram, Blackmon wrote: “As a kid you play the game because you love it, like nothing else matters. I still play the game that way, but I don’t feel like a kid anymore. My perspective has changed. I have been blessed to call the city of Denver and the Colorado Rockies my baseball home for the entirety of my career. I am grateful for the support of this organization, my teammates, and most of all Rockies fans. It is with a thankful heart and a career’s worth of memories that I choose a new path.”

Blackmon was taken by the Rockies in the second round of the 2008 first-year player draft out of Georgia Tech. He made his major league debut on June 7, 2011, against San Diego.

The 38-year-old Blackmon has a .292 average with 226 homers and 148 stolen bases heading into his final few games. He also was a two-time Silver Slugger.

“When Charlie told me of his plans to retire I got a little emotional, as I’m sure many fans will when they see the news that one of the greatest Rockies of all-time will no longer take the field,” Rockies owner Dick Monfort said in a statement. ”Charlie’s passion and dedication to the game of baseball, this organization and our great fans was on display every single day and I can’t thank him enough for pouring his heart into every game and every at-bat over the course of his 14 years here. Charlie is a Rockie to his core.”

Blackmon closed his Instagram post by writing: “I’ll hop over that fence, pickle the beast and embrace the next phase of my life.”

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