Rays arrive; Garciaparra leaving game

Posted Mar 10, 2010 by Tribune Sports

Updated Mar 10, 2010 at 12:32 PM

FORT MYERS - As the Rays are unloading from their bus into City of Palms Park, the Red Sox are holding a news conference in the press box to announce that shortstop Nomar Garciaparra has signed a minor league contract and is retiring.

The former Georgia Tech star said it has always been his dream to retire as a Red Sox player.

“There’s a place in my heard for all of the other teams I’ve played for, but the biggest place is for this team here,” Garciappara said.

Garciaparra, 36, owns a .313 batting average, .229 homers and 936 RBIs in 1,434 games in 14 major league seasons with teh Red Sox (1996-2004), Cubs, Dodgers and Athletics. During his nine seasons in Bostin, he compiled a .323 average, 178 homers and 690 RBIs in 966 games. He is fourth in Red Sox hitory in career batting average and among players with at least 1,500 at-bats.

He joins Wade Boggs, Carl Yastrzemski and Ted Williams as the only players in Boston history to learn AL batting titles in consecutive seasons, doing so in 1999 and 2000.

“I think I represent all of the teams I played for just because of the respect I always had for the uniform I wore,” Garciaparra said.

- Tony Fabrizio