Davis Retires
- Updated: August 12, 2021
Former Kelowna Falcon Chris Davis announced his retirement from baseball Thursday. The slugger appeared in only one Spring Training game this season and underwent arthroscopic hip surgery in May.
“After an extended time dealing with my injury and recent hip surgery, I informed the Orioles about my decision to retire effective today,” Davis said in an official statement released by the club. “I want to thank the Orioles partnership group, led by the Angelos family, the Orioles organization, my teammates and coaches, The University of Maryland Children’s Hospital with whom I will continue to be involved following my retirement and, of course, Birdland. Thank you all for the many memories I will cherish forever.”
He spent the 2005 season with the Falcons leading the newly formed West Coast League (WCL) with five homeruns and 29 RBIs in 30 games.
Davis, 35, debuted with the Rangers in 2008 but found stardom with the Orioles after he was traded to Baltimore before the ’11 Trade Deadline. The Texas native broke out with 33 homers in ’12, and then exploded for a franchise-record (and MLB-most) 53 round-trippers and drove in 138 runs to earn his lone All-Star selection in ’13 and finish third in the American League MVP Award voting. Davis led the Majors again with 47 homers in ’15.
Nicknamed “Crush” by Orioles fans, Davis helped Baltimore reach the postseason in 2012 and ’16. The Orioles signed Davis to a seven-year, $161 million contract, the richest in team history, prior to the ’16 season.
“The Orioles support Chris Davis as he retires from baseball today,” read an official statement from the club. “We thank Chris for his 11 years of service to the club, to Orioles fans, and to the Baltimore community. Athletes have the power to change lives and better their communities, and Chris and his family have done just that. We admire their dedication to those most in need, with hundreds of hours of community work completed, millions of dollars donated, and countless other charitable efforts performed, often without fanfare.
“For every inning played and home run hit, hour of service completed and amount donated, the Davis family has made an immeasurable impact on our city and on Orioles baseball,” the statement continued. “We send our best wishes to Chris, his wife Jill, and their daughters Ella, Evie, and Grace, each of whom will forever be part of our Orioles family.”
Davis’ immense power came with an equal share of strikeouts; he racked up at least 169 punchouts in every year from 2012-18, including an MLB-most 208 in ’15 and 219 in ’16. His batting average began to dip in ’16 and plummeted to just .169 from the start of ’18 through the end of his career.
Davis went 54 consecutive at-bats without a hit stretching from September ’18 through April of the next year. Davis’ dwindling performance, along with mounting injuries, limited his playing time across his final years with Baltimore.
Davis retires with 253 of his 295 career home runs in an Orioles uniform, placing him sixth on the franchise’s all-time list.
Story courtesy of Matt Kelly – MLB.com
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