Retirement announcement Joey Votto, he recalled Choo Shin-soo, "Rabbit 1, thank you."

Cincinnati legend Joey Votto (41), who won the MVP award with six All-Stars in the Major League, has ended his long career. Votto announced his retirement on Instagram on Tuesday (Korea time). Since his debut in 2007, Votto has a career-high 356 home runs and an OPS of 0.920. Notably, his on-base percentage has reached 0.409 due to his good pitching.

Cincinnati broke up with him in November last year, rejecting the team's option. Votto could not guarantee as many opportunities as he wanted. Votto, a Canadian, signed a minor league contract with Toronto in March and burned his will to extend his active career, but he hurt his ankle when he accidentally hit his first at-bat home run in an exhibition game. Then he couldn't come back to MLB. As a result, he ended his brilliant career with a "one-club man," which is rare in MLB these days.

Announcing his retirement, Votto expressed his gratitude to his parents, brothers, and leaders who had been taught during his school years. He also expressed his gratitude to Dusty Baker, the Cincinnati manager, and Scott Rollen, who served as the team's leader in his early years as a pro. He thanked not only the Cincinnati Reds but also the Toronto Blue Jays, who gave him the last chance.

"I had a lot of great teammates," Votto said, referring to his teammates. He listed nicknames or nicknames like Luis Castillo, Eugenio Suarez, Devin Mesoraco, Jay Bruce, and Adam Duvall. Ken Griffey Jr., who played with Cincinnati for a short time until 2008, also mentioned.

There was a special nickname among the names. It was "Tokki 1," or Choo Shin-soo (42, SSG). Votto gave Choo Shin-soo his nickname "Tokk11." Votto himself claimed to be "Tokki 2."

Joey Votto's message on Instagram to announce his retirement. Here are some of the players he used to play with. Choo's nickname "Tokk1" was also mentioned. Joey Votto Instagram capture
Joey Votto's message on Instagram to announce his retirement. Here are some of the players he used to play with. Choo's nickname "Tokk1" was also mentioned. Joey Votto Instagram capture


When he was playing with Cincinnati, Votto said to Choo Shin-soo, "I want to be as good as you at baseball. That's why I try so hard, but I can't catch him no matter how hard I try. He's like a rabbit that can never be caught at a race track." To Votto's words, Choo taught him the Korean word "rabbit," and on that day, rabbit 1 and rabbit 2 became their nicknames. In other words, he plans to become "rabbit 2" and play baseball harder to catch up with Choo Shin-soo, the "rabbit 1." The two met each other during the 2017 season when Choo moved to Texas and during the Players Weekend, where he plays by nicknames instead of names. Choo Shin-soo played with "Tokki 1" and Votto with "Tokki 2" nicknames on his uniforms, respectively.

He said, "No matter how hard I try, I can't catch up," but Votto was one step faster in retirement. Choo Shin-soo also has not long left in his active career. He will retire after this season. Both of them are over 40 years old, so retirement is natural, but even so, it is regrettable to say goodbye to legends.