Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez will officially announce his retirement at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Monday. He will also be honored during an on-field ceremony and will throw out the ceremonial first pitch, the Texas Rangers announced on Wednesday.
The club said the ceremony is scheduled to begin about 20 minutes before their game with the Yankees on Monday.
Rodriguez, 40, is the all-time major league leader with 2,427 games caught during his 21-year baseball career, which included more than a dozen trips to the All-Star game and two trips to the World Series.
During his career, Rodriguez became known for his defensive prowess. He won 13 Gold Glove awards as a catcher, including 10 in a row from 1992-2001.
He also contributed with the bat, hitting more than 20 home runs five times, and hitting .300 or better 10 times.
Rodriguez posted a career batting average of .296 and hit 311 home runs and more than 1,300 RBI, during his time with the Rangers (1991-2002, 2009), Florida Marlins (2003), Detroit Tigers (2004-2008), New York Yankees (2008), Houston Astros (2009) and Washington Nationals (2010-2011).
The Puerto Rico-native made his major league debut with the Rangers in 1991 when he was only 19 years old.
In 13 seasons in Texas, Rodriguez batted .304 and hit 217 home runs.
He was also awarded the American League MVP in 2003 when he batted .332 and hit 35 home runs for the Rangers.
