LOS ANGELES—Corner infielder, David Freese, 36, announced Saturday, October 12 via his social media accounts, that he was retiring after 11 seasons of playing in Major League Baseball.
The 2011 NLCS MVP was drafted in the ninth round of the 2006 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres and later traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2008 season.
Born in Texas, but raised in St Louis and as a Cardinals fan, Freese remained with the Cardinals for five seasons where he was best known for his post season performance. He started with a .277 batting average during the regular season, but improved that to .299 during the post season.
During his time as a Cardinal, Freese and his team not only made the post season, but advanced to the World Series in 2011, as he continued to post good numbers, earning him the title of World Series MVP. The infielder drove in 21 runs, which set an MLB record, and batted a .348 average, with 7 runs brought in during the World Series against the Texas Rangers. That performance included a ninth inning game tying triple and a walk off homer in the bottom of the eleventh during Game 6 that forced a Game 7. That performance helped the Cardinals win the championship.
Freese’s MLB career consisted of playing with the following teams:
-St. Louis Cardinals 2009-2013
-Anaheim Angels 2014-2015
-Pittsburgh Pirates 2016-2018
-Los Angeles Dodgers 2018-2019
Freese’s final appearance was in Game 5 of the NLDS with the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Washington Nationals on October 9, where he was a pinch hitter in a 7-3 loss that knocked the Dodgers out of the series.
