Throughout the many ups (and some downs) of his illustrious 12-year career, Buster Posey's dedication to his craft came second to none.
Officially announcing his retirement from MLB in a press conference at Oracle Park on Nov. 4, Posey's decision to hang up the cleats was due -- in some part -- to the toll the game took on his body over the years.
Of course, we all remember the devastating injury in 2011 that sidelined Posey for most of that season after a collision with former Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins at home plate. In recent years, Posey had dealt with a nagging hip injury that eventually resulted in surgery to repair a torn right labrum in August of 2018.
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Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow joined KNBR's "Murph & Mac" on Tuesday afternoon to discuss Posey's retirement press conference and why his decision to retire made sense for his health.
“For the very first time in his relationship with all of us, he kind of opened up the door into how he felt," Krukow said. "He didn’t feel great. There’s a lot of pain in his game right now, and understandably so. You play in a squat position for 12 years like he has, and you have the kind of injuries that he’s had, there’s going to be some residue. You’re going to have to pay the fiddler.
"At the beginning of your career, I always say, ‘Stay out of the training room, don’t go in the training room.’ Then there comes a point in time when you have to go in there. Once you make that commitment when you have to go in there -- and you have to, it’s a necessity -- now all of the sudden your time is no longer 15 minutes, it’s a half-hour and an hour. For Buster, he was spending two hours before every game to get ready to play a game. When you spend more time in the training room than you are on the field, that starts to wear on you.”
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San Francisco Giants
In the late stages of his career, it was safe to assume that Posey was a frequent visitor to the training room, but to spend nearly two hours there before every game is almost unheard of.
Posey's decision to retire is backed by unanimous support and understanding, and it's clear the seven-time All-Star had pushed his body to the limit.