Jason Varitek sat near home plate, but not in his typical squatting position.
He wasn't wearing a mask or chest protector. Instead, he sported a gray suit and purple tie.
The longtime Red Sox captain officially announced his retirement Thursday at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., ending a 15-year big league career, all with Boston.
"My decision to retire wasn't something that I took likely," said Varitek, who routinely paused as he became emotional during his retirement speech. "This has probably been the most difficult decision that I've had to make in my career. But the opportunity to be able to start and finish my Major League career in one place is why I'm standing here today."
Varitek became the captain of the Red Sox following the club's World Series triumph in 2004, Boston's first title in 86 years. Varitek helped the team to another championship in 2007. The three-time All-Star caught a Major League-record four no-hitters.
"I can probably now appreciate them more than I did when I was playing," Varitek said, "because I was always looking to the next thing and pushing forward. Winning the World Series here was unbelievable, and it was a hard one to match, but the uniqueness of [Jon] Lester's no-hitter and Clay [Buchholz's] no-hitter are going to be hard to forget."
And Varitek's teammates and coaches will never forget his leadership on and off the field.
"You did own that clubhouse," said club chairman Tom Werner. "You were our leader every single day, offensively, defensively and in the clubhouse."
In all, Varitek hit .256 with 193 home runs in his 15 seasons, while taking home an American League Gold Glove Award in 2005. He said he is still discussing a role with the Red Sox to remain involved with the team.
"For now, I plan to attend a lot more soccer practices and soccer matches, and maybe mix in a few tennis matches," said Varitek, stressing his desire to spend more time with his three daughters.
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