Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier formally went into retirement with an on-field ceremony at Dodger Stadium that included speeches from past teammates and a video tribute highlighting the most memorable moments of his career.
Ethier revealed he initially planned on extending his career in 2018, but didn’t receive a worthwhile offer in time for Spring Training. That attributed to his decision to retire rather than attempt a comeback for a third consecutive partial season.
While Ethier has no regrets in hanging up his cleats a bit earlier than expected, he did admit that he would have enjoyed playing in one more game with longtime teammate Matt Kemp, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“If I could do one more thing again, it would be to play one more game with Matt,” he said. “So much fun. Glad to see he’s doing his thing again. I can relate to people counting you out. I’m thankful for him being one of my wing guys all these years.”
Given their extensive history in the organization, it’s no surprise that Ethier would relish in sharing the field with Kemp once more. The one-time franchise cornerstones developed through the Minor League ranks together before each debuting for the Dodgers in 2006.
The pair would patrol the Los Angeles outfield for nine seasons before Kemp’s trade to the San Diego Padres in 2014. That marked the end of an era for the time being, though his departure would only last all of three years.
Kemp found his way back to the Dodgers in a surprising trade with the Atlanta Braves over the offseason and proved his critics wrong, immediately impressing in Spring Training and defying all odds by cracking the Opening Day roster.
The 33-year-old went on to emerge as one of the Dodgers’ most reliable hitters this season and earned his first All-Star Game selection in six years after a terrific first half at the plate.
