{"id":85720,"date":"2024-09-16T14:43:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T18:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=85720"},"modified":"2024-09-16T14:43:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T18:43:36","slug":"matt-adams-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/09\/16\/matt-adams-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Cardinals Star First Baseman Retires After 10-Year Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"x1yztbdb\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\"><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Former <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">St. <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Louis <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Cardinals <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">first <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">baseman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=adamsma01,adams-003mat,y-----000mat&amp;search=Matt+Adams&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-16_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Adams<\/a><\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">announced <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">his <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">retirement <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">from <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">professional <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">baseball <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">via <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">social <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">media. He signed<\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">a <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">one-day <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">contract <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">to <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">officially <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">hang <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">up <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">his <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">cleats <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">with <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">the <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">team <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">that <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">launched <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">his <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">career.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"x1yztbdb\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\"><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">The <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">36-year-old <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">veteran <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">expressed <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">gratitude <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">to <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">teammates, <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">coaches, <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">fans, <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">and <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">family, <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">reflecting <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">on <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">a <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">storied <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">12-year <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">journey <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">that <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">included <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">two <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">World <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Series <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">appearances. <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Adams <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">rose <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">through <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">the <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Cardinals&#8217; <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">farm <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">system, <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">becoming <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">a <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">crucial <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">component <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">of <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">their <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">2013 <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">National <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">League <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Championship <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">team. <\/span><\/span><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\"><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Adams&#8217; <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">impressive <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">career <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">was <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">capped <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">off <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">by <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">a <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">2019 <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">World <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Series <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">title <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">with <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">the <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Washington <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Nationals. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"x1yztbdb\"><span class=\"x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xt4736n x1havqas x1f0sm9e x12qp5cl xzsf02u x1yc453h xudqn12 x3x7a5m\"><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">The <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">slugger&#8217;s <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">enduring <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">connection <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">to <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">the <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Cardinals <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">organization <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">will <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">be <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">celebrated <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">in <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stltoday.com\/sports\/professional\/mlb\/cardinals\/big-city-comes-home-slugger-matt-adams-to-sign-1-day-contract-retire-with-cardinals\/article_c829f2c6-739a-11ef-a24d-5fd8b39c17b0.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">upcoming <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">pre-game <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">ceremony <\/span><\/a><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">against <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">the <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Pittsburgh <\/span><span class=\"xs4xyr0 xqcmdr3 xn0cd8s\">Pirates.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A different kind of Sunday post\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GZiLbmTbQk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/GZiLbmTbQk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Adams (@BigCityForReal) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BigCityForReal\/status\/1835509269690454324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Matt Adams Announces Retirement<\/h2>\n<p>Known as &#8220;Big City,&#8221; left an indelible mark on the St. Louis Cardinals during his six-year tenure from 2012-2017. Drafted in 2009, Adams broke into the majors three seasons later, quickly becoming a mainstay in the Cardinals&#8217; lineup. He became a fixture in the Cardinals lineup in 2013, hitting .284\/.335\/.503 with 17 home runs, 51 RBI and an 80:20 K:BB rate. Adams earned a special place in the hearts of Cardinals fans with his clutch hitting, none more memorable than his go-ahead home run off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kershcl01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-16_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clayton Kershaw<\/a> in Game 4 of the 2014 National League Division Series. His heroics came despite struggling against left-handed pitchers that season (.190\/.231\/.298 in 130 plate appearances).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LAD@STL Gm4: Adams crushes three-run shot for lead\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dKIDS7A_cm4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>After the Cardinals put <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carpema01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-16_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Carpenter<\/a> at first base for the 2017 season, Adams lost at-bats and playing time. However, an injury to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/freemfr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-16_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Freddie Freeman<\/a> opened the door for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/05\/20\/atlanta-braves-acquire-matt-adams-st-louis\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Cardinals to trade Adams<\/a> to the Atlanta Braves for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yepezju01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-16_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Juan Yepez<\/a>. Adams managed to hit his way into the Braves lineup, eventually moving Freeman at third base to keep both left-handers in the lineup.<\/p>\n<h3>Two Free Agent Stints<\/h3>\n<p>Adams hit free agency that offseason and signed with the Nationals on a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/12\/20\/matt-adams-signs-nationals\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">one-year deal<\/a>. He once again hit well as Washington&#8217;s first baseman, hitting .257\/.332\/.510 with 18 home runs. Adams tenure was short lived, hitting the waiver wire in late August, where the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2018\/08\/21\/washington-nationals-trade-daniel-murphy-matt-adams\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Cardinals claimed him<\/a>. His return to St. Louis was dismal as he hit .158\/.200\/.333 in 27 games, becoming a free agent at the end of the season. He re-signed with the Nationals, providing a left-handed power bat off the bench.<\/p>\n<p>That season was the last time where Adams had semi-regular playing time in the majors. He returned to Atlanta in 2020 then had a brief stint with the Colorado Rockies in 2021. Adams spent the past two years playing in minor league organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Adams will now close his chapter on a career that saw him hit .258\/.306\/.463 with 118 home runs, 399 RBI and 624 hits in 2,614 plate appearances.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo: \u00a9 Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams\u00a0announced his retirement from professional baseball via social media. He signed\u00a0a one-day contract to officially hang up his cleats with the team that launched his career. The 36-year-old veteran expressed gratitude to teammates, coaches, fans, and family, reflecting on a storied 12-year journey that included two World Series [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3686,"featured_media":85721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,1071,35],"tags":[48,97,106,206,735,344,38],"class_list":["post-85720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardinals","category-mlb","category-news","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-clayton-kershaw","tag-colorado-rockies","tag-freddie-freeman","tag-matt-adams","tag-matt-carpenter","tag-washington-nationals"],"modified_by":"Matt Graves","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3686"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}