David Freese Retires from MLB After 11-Year Career with Cardinals, Dodgers, More

Former World Series MVP David Freese is hanging up his cleats after an 11-year career in Major League Baseball. 

Freese posted his retirement announcement on Twitter:

Freese is best known for his postseason heroics with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. He hit a game-tying triple in the bottom of the ninth inning and walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th in Game 6 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers to force a decisive Game 7, which the Cardinals would go on to win.

The St. Louis native became the sixth player in MLB history to be named MVP of the league championship series and World Series in the same season. 

A late bloomer, Freese emerged as an unheralded ninth-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres in 2006. He was 25 at the time of his MLB debut in 2009 and didn't play more than 100 games in a season until 2012 due to injuries. 

After spending the first five years of his major league career with the Cardinals, Freese had stints with the Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was excellent as a part-time player for the Dodgers in 2019, posting a .315/.403/.599 slash line and 11 homers in 79 games. 

During his 11 MLB seasons, Freese hit .277/.351/.423 in 1,184 games and was named to the All-Star team in 2012.