Ivan Rodriguez to retire as Ranger

Ivan Rodriguez made a brief return to the Rangers during the 2009 season.

AP

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Ivan Rodriguez is going back to Texas to retire.

The 14-time All-Star catcher who won a record 13 Gold Gloves will formally announce his retirement as an active player Monday at Rangers Ballpark, the home of his original team. He will also be honored by the Texas Rangers before their game that night against the New York Yankees, one of the five teams he played for after Texas.

Rodriguez, now 40, and the Rangers announced the plans Thursday, a day after the news was first reported by The Associated Press.

A fan favorite known as Pudge, Rodriguez was only 19 when he made his major league debut with Texas on June 20, 1991. He played the first 12 of his 21 major league seasons with Texas, and returned to the Rangers briefly in 2009.

Rodriguez caught a major league-record 2,427 games, and hit .296 with 311 home runs and 1,332 RBIs in 2,543 games overall with Texas (1991-2002, 2009), Florida (2003), Detroit (2004-08), the Yankees (2008), Houston (2009), and Washington (2010-11).

When the Rangers won their third AL West title in a four-year span in 1999, Rodriguez hit .332 with 35 home runs and 113 RBIs and was the American League MVP.

The two-time defending American League champion Rangers never played in the World Series when Rodriguez was there. He left Texas as a free agent after the 2002 season before signing with Florida.

Rodriguez did get to play in two World Series, in 2003 with the champion Marlins and in 2006 with the Tigers.

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