"It's the end" Joey Votto announces retirement

Joey Votto, 40, has announced his retirement from active duty.

Votto announced his retirement in a short video posted on his Instagram on the 22nd (Korea Standard Time).

In the video, Votto was set at Saylen Field, Triple-A Buffalo Bison's home ground under the Toronto Blue Jays, where he was playing until recently, saying, "I'm done. I'm officially retiring from baseball."

Votto, who is from Canada, signed with the Blue Jays, the only Canadian club in the Major League this season.


After joining the camp as an invited player after signing a minor league contract, he hit a home run during an exhibition game in March and stepped on the bat on the floor to hurt his right ankle.

It didn't seem to be a serious injury at the time, but recovery was slower than expected and eventually affected the entire season.

He played in 31 games in the minor leagues this season, hitting a batting average of 0.165 on-base percentage of 0.298 with a slugging percentage of 0.271.

In particular, in Triple-A, he was sluggish with a batting average of 0.143 (6 hits in 42 at-bats) with one homer, four RBIs, eight walks and 22 strikeouts in 15 games.

In an interview with SportsNet in early August, he expressed frustration, saying, "I didn't think it would take this long to recover. I thought I could get a call-up in April."


After playing in the major leagues for 17 seasons, he found the team late on, and remained in the minor leagues after the season opened.

He said these experiences were "not hateful" but admitted he was not used to them, saying they "come as a bit of a shock to my system."

In the end, he gave up his dream of finishing his big league career in his hometown of Toronto and ended his career.

Coincidentally, the decision came after a three-game series between Cincinnati and his hometown team, Toronto, where he had been for 17 years.

Votto began his professional career by being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round in the 2002 draft.

He made his big league debut in 2007 and played in 2056 games in 17 seasons with a batting average of 0.294 on-base percentage of 0.409 with a batting average of 0.5112135 hits, 356 homers and 1144 RBIs.

He has won six All-Stars and one Gold Glove award and was named a National League All-Star in 2010.