Votto shares heartwarming story with former Blue Jay Devon White that led to retirement
Joey Votto is opening up more on what led to his retirement while attempting to make a come back as a Toronto Blue Jay.
Votto, who spent his entire 17-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays in March, hoping to prove to everyone that he could still play at 40 years old. Things got off to a rough start, as he suffered a sprained ankle following his first Spring Training game that kept him out of the lineup for months.
Once healthy, Votto was playing for Triple-A Buffalo in hopes of earning a call-up to the Blue Jays. He struggled immensely, however, and admitted on the Dan Patrick Show that he received a sign that made it clear it was time to hang up the cleats.
“It wasn’t until the other day, when I didn’t want a plate appearance,” Votto explained. “When the coach was like, ‘Do you want this at bat?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t. I don’t.’ I’ve never had that.”
While his decision to retire didn’t come on that day, it did just a short time later when a situation arose with his and his late father’s former favourite player, Devon White, who now serves as a first base coach for the Buffalo Bisons.
“Our favourite player was Devon White. He had a specific catching style, he was a fantastic defender, had a real charming personality. We just loved him, he was the guy,” Votto said.
“I’m sitting on the bench, in Buffalo, passing on a plate appearance, and guess who’s sitting beside me? Devon White. He said to me, ‘So what do you think you’re going to do?’ He was talking about my hitting style. I go, ‘I think I’m done,’ and he goes, ‘You mean retire?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I think I’m done.’ It was like a full-circle moment.”
The story behind the exact moment when @JoeyVotto decided to retire from baseball pic.twitter.com/CxudnONBn4
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 23, 2024
Despite Votto’s comeback attempt falling short, he has nothing to hang his head about when it comes to his career. He was undoubtedly one of the best players of his era, playing in six All-Star Games while also winning the 2010 NL MVP Award.
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