Magglio Ordonez Leaves Game as Great Hitter, Teammate in Eyes of Fellow Tigers

by abournenesn

May 30, 2012

Magglio Ordonez Leaves Game as Great Hitter, Teammate in Eyes of Fellow TigersThe news came Tuesday that former Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez is retiring at last.

He'll officially announce his retirement in a pregame ceremony on Sunday at Comerica Park, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Ordonez hadn't played since September of last year, his once stellar career stunted by injuries near the end.

"He was a great competitor," said Brennan Boesch, who plays right field for Detroit and came up with the Tigers during Ordonez' final two, injury-plagued seasons. "If it wasn't for that ankle, I think he'd still be playing. I think his love and passion for the game is really something you could look at as something that you could strive to have. He'd be an outstanding coach or manager one day."

Ordonez will be most remembered for his ability with his bat. He started with the White Sox and hit above .300 six times in Chicago. In 2005, he arrived in Detroit, where his career peaked with a 2006 World Series appearance and a .363 batting title year in 2007, when he finished second in American League MVP voting.

"He gave us a lot of great memories," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Tuesday.

Ordonez had a walk-off, three-run homer in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series in 2006 to send Detroit to the World Series.

"Since I've been with the Tigers, Magglio has always been an amazing teammate of mine," Boesch said. "Helped me out a lot as a young player, and what he's done for the Tigers organization can't be understated."

Ordonez was never a fiery guy in the clubhouse, but that didn't keep him from being supportive, Boesch said. When Boesch was a rookie, Ordonez would just chat with him about baseball and look for ways to help the young player.

"Really laid-back personality — you could come to him with anything," Boesch said. "Magglio is very soft-spoken, but I think just the way he went about his business as a professional, he can fit into any clubhouse. He minded to himself and just never caused any problems, was always just showing up every day and going to give his best effort. He just set a good example for everyone."

Ordonez was a six-time All-Star and won three Silver Slugger Awards. He had 2,156 hits in 15 years in the major leagues.

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