Raines Retires After 21 Seasons

March 23, 2000 / 12:33 PM EST / CBS/AP

Unhappy that he wasn't able to play up to his standards, New York Yankees outfielder Tim Raines retired today.

"I guess we all have an alarm for when it's time for your career to end, and I felt like my alarm went off two weeks ago," Raines said during a news conference in the Yankees' dugout before an exhibition game against Boston.

Raines, fifth on the career steals list with 807, was with the Yankees this spring as a non-roster player, partly to showcase himself after missing the final 2 1/2 months of last season because of Lupus.

After Darryl Strawberry was suspended for a positive cocaine test, it appeared that Raines had a chance to make the Yankees as a part-time left fielder/designated hitter. But manager Joe Torre told Raines during the past week that was unlikely.

Raines, 39, hit .293 (7-for-24) in 10 games this spring but had only two extra-base hits, a double and a home run.

"I don't know where he would have fit in numbers-wise," Torre said. "He could have been a switch-hitter off the bench, but he's not a power switch-hitter off the bench. I think he could have played and not embarrassed himself this year. I think he didn't want to go anywhere. That probably made his decision for him."

For now, the Yankees are comfortable using Ricky Ledee and Shane Spencer in left field, and a combination of Ledee, Spencer and Jim Leyritz at designated hitter.

Roberto Kelly, also in camp on a minor league contract, was viewed ahead of Raines as a backup outfielder.

During a stint with the Yankees from 1996-98, Raines won World Series rings in his first and last seasons. He then signed with Oakland as a free agent after the 1998 season, but went on the disabled list last July 19 with kidney inflammation.

Less than a week later, he was diagnosed with Lupus, a connective tissue disease in which the immune system turns against the body. The disease affects the skin, joints, blood and kidneys.

Raines didn't want to be remembered for having a disease end his career.

"I felt like I accomplished what I sought out to do, which is to come back and show I could still play the game," he said. "If I couldn't perform at a certain level, I didn't think I deserved to be out there playing."

Raines, who made seven straight All-Star game appearances from 1981-87, compiled a .295 career average in 21 seasons with Montreal, the Chicago White Sox, Yankees and Oakland.

He finishes with 168 homers and 1,290 RBIs, and in steals trails only Rickey Henderson (1,334), Lou Brock (938), Billy Hamilton (937) and Ty Cobb (892).

Raines swiped 70 or more bases in each of his first seven seasons. He hit a career-low .215 last year with only four steals.

One of the reasons he wanted to come back was to play with his son, Tim Jr., who stole 49 bases last year for Baltimore's Class-A farm team at Delmarva.

Now, Raines intends to take this year off and watch minor league and high school games. He hopes to return in management, possibly as a major league coach if Yankees owner George Steinbrenner wants him.

"Hopefully, George will have an opening for me somewhere down the line," Raines said. "I'm not sure in what capacity."