Perhaps it's time for a statue of him shirtless to be erected outside Fenway?
Mike Napoli, the 2013 Red Sox postseason hero, whose epic beard and partying after winning that World Series title became as famous as his on-the-field exploits, announced his retirement in a heartfelt statement on Twitter on Saturday.
Napoli, 37, was playing for the Cleveland Indians' Triple-A affiliate in Columbus last April when a knee injury cut his season short before it really even started. He last played in the majors in 2017 with the Texas Rangers.
He helped the Indians reach the 2016 World Series against the Cubs when he hit 34 homers. He finishes his 12-year major league career with the Angels, two stints with the Rangers, the Red Sox and Indians with a .246 batting average, 267 home runs, 744 RBI and an .821 OPS and stuck out 1,468 times.
After David Ortiz's tying grand slam in Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS against the Tigers, Napoli's homer off Justin Verlander in Game 3 in Detroit - the only run in the Red Sox' 1-0 victory - was the biggest hit of that series.
Boston Red Sox
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Boston's Twitter account gave Napoli a fitting shout-out shortly after his announcement.
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