On May 15, Matt Carpenter was hosted by Scott Linebrink on the Get in the Game Podcast where he shared news of his retirement from Major League Baseball.
“I wanted to take this opportunity on this podcast and officially announce my retirement from the game of baseball,” the longtime St. Louis infielder said. “I was fortunate enough to play for some great organizations and had quite a thrill been able to don the St. Louis Cardinals logo for many years, a brief stint with the New York Yankees and also the San Diego Padres.”
I started watching Major League Baseball near the end of the 2014 season, where I watched starstruck as Carpenter tore the Los Angeles Dodgers apart in the NLDS, hitting .375 with 3 homers and 7 RBIs by his smooth lefty power. That series, I became a Cardinals fan, where I was treated to ten more years of Matt Carpenter’s leadership, gritty at-bats and calm, focused energy. His announcement of his own retirement made me realize that he was the last active Cardinal from that 2014 team, and a whole generation of players have taken his place at Busch.
“So fortunate that this opportunity came about,” Carpenter said. “As many people know, St. Louis is a special place that I hold very dear to my heart. The fans there, the organization from top to bottom, it’s unique and special place to get to play baseball and I’m just so honored and blessed to be able to wear that uniform for so many years.”
Matt Carpenter has been one of my favorite Cardinals to play the game. From his smooth lefty swing to his sharp batter’s eye that rivals the best umpires in the game, Carp has inspired me all throughout the entirety of my own baseball career. This past April, I finished my senior year of D2 baseball with Union University where my coach, former MLB third baseman Casey McGehee always told us to soak it all up; every practice, morning lift, and game because one day every ballplayer has to hang up the cleats for the last time. He was right. It’s a heartbreaking moment when it finally sinks in that you will never walk on that ballfield as a baseball player ever again. As a pitcher, I felt a little hollow inside, as if part of my soul was left on the mound or somewhere in the bullpen.
As Carpenter went into the off-season with an open mind as a free agent, it became evident that his family was, and always has been, his top priority. He explained that making the ultimate decision to hang up the cleats was not as painful as it could have been.
“I think not having my identity wrapped up in baseball was a big thing when it comes to making a decision like this,” the three-time All-star said. “If you see yourself as a baseball player and that’s all you are, it can make a decision like this a little tougher. As a father, a husband, and a son, I’m much bigger things than just a baseball player. It just made that decision so much easier, not having that identity as a baseball player. It’s something that I did, it’s not who a am.”
Carpenter also attributes part of his decision to his faith in God’s plan leading him home.
“As we went through the off-season, it just became clearer and clearer to me that God wanted me to be home; and not only was that His desire, it was also my desire. It made the decision really easy.”
Matt Carpenter has been a light to St. Louis Cardinals fans throughout his entire career. Not just during his time in Cardinal red on the infield, but even beyond by demonstrating how to retire with grace and peace in a difficult decision.
I'm a writer trying to make his mark in the baseball journalism world. I graduated with a journalism degree from Union University where I pitched four years of D2 baseball.
