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Mitch Moreland announces his retirement from baseball

BOSTON -- A former Red Sox World Series champ has called it a career. He hasn't filed any paperwork to make it official, but Mitch Moreland has retired from baseball.

Moreland hasn't played since August 2021 when he was a member of the Oakland A's. He was hoping to get a phone call at some point during the 2022 season, but that never happened.

This spring, Moreland got a call from the Red Sox about joining them in the dugout for some exhibition games. He was with the Red Sox on Tuesday as a coach for their spring tilt against the Atlanta Braves. That's where the former Sox first baseman broke the news of his retirement to WEEI's Rob Bradford.

"I'm retired There you go. I'm done. I'm done playing," Moreland said ahead of Tuesday night's Red Sox win. "I've enjoyed the family life too much in the last year and a half. Being there for my kids. It got to the point where they were away from me during the season and in school. I wanted to be there for them, and be around the family more."

Moreland was with the Red Sox thanks to an invite from Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom. Perhaps a career in coaching is in his near future, but it's clear that he's going to soak up all the family time that he can before moving on to his next chapter.

Moreland, 37, enjoyed a 12-year career in baseball, including four seasons with the Red Sox from 2017-2020. He became a fan favorite in Boston and earned the nickname "Mitchy Two Bags" for his knack for hitting doubles. He set a career-high with 34 two-baggers in his first season with the Red Sox.

He was even better in 2018, when he made his lone All-Star team and helped Boston win a World Series. Moreland hit a key three-run homer in Game 4 of the Fall Classic against the L.A. Dodgers as a pinch hitter, taking Ryan Madson deep in the top of the seventh inning with the Red Sox trailing 4-0. The Red Sox came back for a 9-6 win to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, and captured a title the next night in Los Angeles.

Moreland was in the Red Sox dugout on Tuesday night -- along with another former Red Sox World Series hero in Mike Lowell -- and said it was an opportunity he could not pass up. But he also made it clear that it won' become the norm -- at least not just yet.

"I'm here strictly to hang out with the guys, and if I can help someone along the way, and if anybody has any questions for me, I'd obviously be an open book for them," Moreland said. "Just catch up with old teammates and staff, and help any way I can."

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