Archive: Mike Schmidt retires

From May 30, 1989:

Mike Schmidt , the greatest player in Phillies history and one of the finest third basemen ever to play the game, abruptly retired yesterday, acknowledging that his once-incomparable skills were gone.

Schmidt, 39, beset by a near month-long slump, reached his decision Sunday night after the Phils' loss in San Francisco, where his error preceded Will Clark's game-winning grand-slam homer. Schmidt told Phils manager Nick Leyva of his decision on the team flight from San Francisco to San Diego.

During a hurriedly arranged news conference before last night's game against the San Diego Padres, Schmidt broke down several times.

"Over the years of my career, I've set high standards for myself as a player, always said that when I don't feel I could perform up to those standards, that it would be time to retire," Schmidt said.

"My skills to do those things on the field, to make the adjustments needed to hit, to make the routine play on defense and to run the bases aggressively have deteriorated. "

After the news conference, Schmidt said that he had begun to compare his abilities with those of younger players and, for the first time in his career, had found himself lacking.

"I've been thinking about this for days and kept telling myself, 'Don't

quit, don't do this,' but the game kept telling me not to continue," Schmidt said.

"And as I mulled it over and over, I kept going out there without the right frame of mind. I was unable to make plays which I used to make easily. I'd get pitches to hit I used to be right on and didn't hit them.

"And it got to the point where I couldn't stay with the Will Clarks and the Kevin Mitchells and the Kirk Gibsons. Those were the players I used to be. But I started feeling very small in their shadow. And as soon as I started feeling that way, it was as if someone was telling me to move on and let someone else take over. "

Schmidt finished his career with 548 career home runs, seventh on the all- time list. He ranks first in virtually every offensive category in Phillies history.

Said Schmidt: "I feel like I could easily ask the Phillies to make me a part-time player, and to hang around for a couple years, to add to my statistical totals. However, my respect for the game, my teammates, the fans, won't allow me to do that. For these reasons, I've decided to retire as an active player. "

Schmidt thanked Phils president Bill Giles, former owner Ruly Carpenter, former Phils manager and farm director Paul Owens and recently deceased scout Tony Lucadello, who signed Schmidt out of Ohio University.

"The Phillies are a first-class organization and have always supported me with loyalty and security that few players, if any, will ever know," Schmidt said.

Schmidt's deterioration as a player had been evident over the past month. He ended his career in a demoralizing 2-for-40 slump. He was hitting only .203 with six homers and a club-leading 28 RBIs. He had hit only one homer since April 26.

Schmidt also led the club with eight errors, two of which came at crucial points of losses in San Francisco on Saturday and Sunday.

"There wasn't any special play or specific incident that made the decision for me," Schmidt said after the news conference. "I think much of it was a sense of inadequacy on defense and just the whole way I was viewing the game on this West Coast trip. It was a sense of losing my feel for the game.

"There wasn't an injury thing that caused this either. I have my aches and

pains and have had some nagging injuries over the last several days. But that's not what made this decision for me.

"It came down to pride, to wanting to play the game at the level I set for myself. And I just could not do that anymore. "

Schmidt said he told Leyva last week in Los Angeles that he was considering retirement.

After telling Leyva that he had, in fact, decided to retire, Schmidt called Phils general manager Lee Thomas and Giles when the plane reached San Diego. He asked the Phils' players to come to pitcher Steve Bedrosian's hotel room, where he told them of his decision.

"I knew Mike was wrestling with this for several days, and I could almost sense his relief when he told me he had made up his mind," Leyva said. "I think everyone understands why Mike is doing this. We're all sad to lose him as a teammate, but I think everyone is happy that he was able to make this decision on his own terms. "

By retiring now, Schmidt forgoes the possibility of earning another $500,000, which he would have received if he had been on the Phils' roster on Aug. 15.

His career was in doubt after last season, when he required shoulder surgery for a torn right rotator cuff. That is why he signed a contract that made his salary conditional on his health. He received $500,000 to begin the season and received another $500,000 on May 15.

After a rigorous winter-long rehabilitation, Schmidt was able to gain a spot on the club's opening-day roster, and he went on to hit five home runs in April. However, over the last four weeks he had struggled both at the plate and on the field.

"Money hasn't been a factor in any of this," Schmidt said in an interview before last night's game. "And I will never regret working like I did to come back for this season. I'll never regret accepting that challenge and being able to make it back. "

Schmidt said the Phillies' last-place standing probably influenced his decision to retire now.

"Say hypothetically that we were in first place while I had the stats I have right now," Schmidt said. "I'd probably keep playing because I felt I had contributed to the club being in first place.

"So sure, if the club had been doing better, I probably would have kept playing. But I don't like dealing in hypotheticals. I have to deal in reality, and the reality is that I feel it best to leave now. "

Giles, who attended the news conference, called Schmidt "the greatest third baseman of all time. " Giles added that Schmidt would throw out the first ball at Saturday night's game with Montreal at Veterans Stadium. The club also is planning to retire Schmidt's number 20 at a special day to be announced.

Thomas, who was reached by phone in St. Louis, said, "He's one of the greatest players ever to play the game, and we'll miss him - that's obvious. We all knew that someday we'd have to go on without him, but I guess we didn't think it would be this soon. "

The immediate heir apparent to Schmidt's third-base job is Chris James, his closest friend on the club. James, like several other teammates, was teary- eyed as Schmidt broke down during his news conference.

"We're close friends, not just teammates," James said. "It's going to be weird not to have him around. But I'm happy for him, because I know he feels this is the right decision for him at this time. "

Schmidt had to pause several times to gather himself during his prepared remarks.

"Some 18 years ago, I left Dayton, Ohio, with two very bad knees and a

dream to become a major-league baseball player," he said. "I thank God the

dream came true. "

At that point, Schmidt broke down sobbing. Later, however, he acknowledged the relief at making his retirement decision.

"The thing is, when you wake up not being a player and feel better than when you were a player, then you know you made the right decision," he said. ''And I woke up this morning feeling better than I have in weeks because this decision was behind me. "

Schmidt said he had no immediate plans. There is little likelihood of a job in the Phils' organization, other than possibly as a broadcaster. Schmidt has expressed interest in a network broadcasting position and is scheduled for interviews with both CBS and ESPN later this summer.

"I don't have any immediate plans to do anything," he said. "But I know that I will be watching every at-bat of every Phillies game. I have too many friends in this clubhouse to lose interest in how they're doing."