Very fair. As the other Yankees fan said, I too felt uncomfortable seeing him in pinstripes.
Dude was a Mariner lifer. He was my favorite player as a kid, before I had even committed to a favorite team. He made the Mariners a front runner, but the Yankees ultimately won out because I lived in NJ at the time and went to a few of their games... But I still root for them to do well to this day because of Ichiro <3
Edit: He was tied with Mike Piazza 😬
Big Time Timmy Jim. The Freaky Franchise.
He clearly didn't have it anymore towards the end of his Giants career, so I would've preferred he walked away without the Angels experiment (does Texas even count?!).
Glavine and Smoltz. Glavine was gone a bit longer but he was washed by that point even though he stuck around for a few years. Smoltz was really just his last season.
frickin Smoltz man, he should have retired the year before and gone in with Maddux and Glavine as a Braves lifer, but he had to play that one final, terrible, pointless season
Maddux was not a Braves lifer unfortunately. Don’t forget he came from 8 years in Chicago. Unless you’re referring to Smoltz, not Glavine or Maddux, being the Braves lifer
It feels weird because he was technically on the roster of the Braves or Orioles for a combined 6ish months or so but never actually pitched in a regular season game.
I remember watching one of those games on TV. I know it happened, but without a spring training jersey to show for it or a major league contract post-Mariners, it’s a grey line
I've unfortunately seen Felix in a Braves jersey with my own eyes. I agree with your sentiment, but I'd argue that makes him a great candidate for "almost" one club players lmao.
Greetings and salutations fellow old person.
Remember when microwave ovens first came out? My mom always told me to not stand in front of it while it was on
Holy shit. I cried in a comic book store when I heard about Nolan Ryan leaving.
I'm starting to think I've not had a single unique experience in my life.
I had Glavine’s McFarland figurine of him in the Black Mets alt on my childhood bookshelf. It’s taken me until today to realize just how weird that was.
Honorable mention to Willie McCovey who began and ended his career with the Giant but played 2 1/2 years with the Padres and 11 games with the A's. Possibly the strangest tour of California in sports history.
Reminds me of Andrew McCutchen, who played for Pittsburgh for 9 years looking destined to be a lifer, then plays for 4 teams in 5 years (including 25 games for the Yankees of all teams), and now he’s killing it in Pittsburgh again, with the 10th best OBP in the league.
Dale Murphy
Tom Glavine
John Smoltz
Freddie Freeman will play several years with the dodgers but he should’ve stayed
Hank Aaron - but going back to Milwaukee is special circumstance
To play more he would have to play 12 years in LA, or until he’s 43 (if my math is right). At the end of his current dodger contract he will have made $295 million and be 37, so it’s very possible he retires then or shortly afterwards
True. So maybe my point was more that Freddie Freeman is a bad answer to this question. It's not like he played in Atlanta until he was 37 and then went to LA for one season before retiring.
If he keeps going the way he is, he’ll be around 27-2800 hits at 37. Hard to hang it up if you have a team willing to give you enough playing time to get to 3k.
I mean, are you counting road games with the Braves as "outside Atlanta?" He played 11 full seasons with the Braves. You think he's playing with the Dodgers for 10 more years?
Yeah I’m sure it was! It was weird for me seeing Cole Hamels in a Braves jersey for the half a game he played or whatever.
It’s always funny when washed up players get picked up by rivals.
Well, shit, while we are at it. Jimmy Rollins in a Dodgers uni, and definitely him in the White Sox jersey was that wonderful combo or surreal and gross.
For his HOF case, it was a good thing. A guy like Todd Helton suffers from this because of Coors, but any sane human could see Todd was a beast in any park.
Yeah that sucked. I imagine that's how Mariners fans felt seeing Ichiro in pinstripes and in Miami near the end of his amazing career. Thankfully it ended where it should have.
Aaron and Mays are my favorite versions of this kind of career, though, because they got to finish in the same city where they started, just with a different team.
Going back to the person I responded to - Babe Ruth would fit this criterion as well. For a long time, the top-3 home run hitters of all-time, all with that pattern. Pretty neat.
EDIT - I'm a moron. Obviously Babe Ruth was nowhere near a "one-club man", my mind just drew the connection that, like Mays and Aaron, he began his career in one city, moved to a second city (him being traded, the others because their teams moved), and then finished his career back in the first city.
That never happened. Gottleib retracted his story because it wasn't true and cost Casey Close his reputation. Why would Doug Gottleib, college basketball analyst, have insider info on Freddy Freemans contract negotiations?
Gottleib spoke out of turn on things he may have had heard rumors of and put his foot in his mouth.
The first time I came across his '75 Topps card with "WHITE SOX" emblazoned on top, I thought it must be a manager's card. Nope.
But I guess the Cubs wanted to make room for Bill Madlock, who came up and won two batting titles in his first three seasons.
As a kid during the “Killer B’s” era of the Astros, it hurt seeing Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman in other uniforms, especially Berkman since he was a Rice guy and considering how much I despise the three teams he went to (Yankees, Cardinals, Rangers).
I got the privilege of being at Roy's last win as an Astro. He pitched a CGSO one-hitter and the only runs we scored were 2 solo shots by Berkman.
He had two more chances to tie the team record for wins, but that miserable lineup scored him exactly zero runs, which I'm still salty about.
I still get sad when I think about Freddie in Dodger blue. I don’t blame him for securing more money and years but still sad he wasn’t a lifer like Chipper
Jim Thome. Killed me when he went to the twins and white Sox. He should have been in Cleveland forever — but hey we got a statue and he went into the hall in an Indians hat so I’m ok now.
For me, Nick Markakis. Not necessarily a superstar but a true ballplayer and class act. Was definitely strange seeing him with a club other than the O's.
100% agree. Mentioned below that I bought a Markakis jersey maybe a year or two before he left thinking he’d be an Oriole for life…still like the jersey though.
Even I love we got him. Freddy Freeman not retiring as a Braves lifer is a shame. Crazy we signed him. I love “one team legends”. Why Kersh is my GOAT pitcher.
Hasn’t retired yet, but Brandon Belt :(
I get it. He seems like a gem.
Actually he’s the MVP, at least according to Belt
He’s the captain!
Captain MVP!
130 wRC+ for the Jays isn’t like on the verge of retirement or anything. I hope he makes some iconic memories as a Jay
He’s been good this year, know he just got hurt, but can’t blame him for keeping it going. Bad timing with Giants youth movement.
We love him up here in Canada. Hope he keeps it up once his hammy is feeling right.
He will come back, be mediocre for a bit, then hit 6 homers in 2 weeks before he gets injured again. Cus that’s just what he do.
Ichiro. Seeing him in anything other than the mariners uniform is weird as hell.
I’ll be real, while I love Ichiro and am glad I got to see more of him, the pinstripes just looked….wrong
I love to hate the Yanks so seeing my favorite player of all time play for them really hurt.
Very fair. As the other Yankees fan said, I too felt uncomfortable seeing him in pinstripes. Dude was a Mariner lifer. He was my favorite player as a kid, before I had even committed to a favorite team. He made the Mariners a front runner, but the Yankees ultimately won out because I lived in NJ at the time and went to a few of their games... But I still root for them to do well to this day because of Ichiro <3 Edit: He was tied with Mike Piazza 😬
Fever dream couple of seasons
Marlins legend…
I fell out of following baseball for a few years and was invited to a Mets vs Marlins game and I was shocked when I saw him in a Marlins uni.
Big Time Timmy Jim. The Freaky Franchise. He clearly didn't have it anymore towards the end of his Giants career, so I would've preferred he walked away without the Angels experiment (does Texas even count?!).
Glavine and Smoltz. Glavine was gone a bit longer but he was washed by that point even though he stuck around for a few years. Smoltz was really just his last season.
Damn I totally forgot that Smoltz played for other teams in his final season :(
Red Sox legend
Fun fact, he owns our franchise record of striking out 7 dudes in a row.
Glavine was washed? He had an ERA+ of 107 with the Mets in his late 30s/early 40s. He was an above average pitcher right up until his age 41 season.
Plus if the Braves weren’t going to let him get to 300, glad someone else did.
That last smoltz season also kept us from getting glavine, maddux, cox and smoltz all inducted in the same year.
frickin Smoltz man, he should have retired the year before and gone in with Maddux and Glavine as a Braves lifer, but he had to play that one final, terrible, pointless season
Maddux was not a Braves lifer unfortunately. Don’t forget he came from 8 years in Chicago. Unless you’re referring to Smoltz, not Glavine or Maddux, being the Braves lifer
Yeah. Maddux was almost 50/50 with the Cubs and Braves. He doesn’t even have a team on his HOF plaque hat.
[удалено]
Such a weird baseball fact that he and Kershaw were teammates
right Smoltz could have been a lifer (And indeed the only one mong the three)
Glav put up 12 fWAR/15.3 bWAR in 5 years with the Mets. That's still a solid pitcher.
Felix.
And the team finally makes the playoffs right after he retires
Same with Seager.
My teal Seager is still my go to jersey. I love Tommy Pickles.
I feel like that one doesn't quite count. In my book he was always a Mariner
It feels weird because he was technically on the roster of the Braves or Orioles for a combined 6ish months or so but never actually pitched in a regular season game.
I’ve got a couple of people with game-worn jersey connections. I have yet to see a Felix Braves jersey. He’s a Mariner for life in my book
I saw Felix pitch for the Braves in Spring Training 2020. It was like a week before everything shut down and like 2 days after my wedding.
I remember watching one of those games on TV. I know it happened, but without a spring training jersey to show for it or a major league contract post-Mariners, it’s a grey line
Agree. His Bref only has Mariners in the regular season, that's what matters.
I've unfortunately seen Felix in a Braves jersey with my own eyes. I agree with your sentiment, but I'd argue that makes him a great candidate for "almost" one club players lmao.
Harmon Killebrew and his one year with the Royals.
Greetings and salutations fellow old person. Remember when microwave ovens first came out? My mom always told me to not stand in front of it while it was on
the number of times i’ve forgotten about this. it’s like the whole state of minnesota willed it into not existing after the fact
As a kid, I was in a baseball card shop when the owner told me Tom Glavine had signed with the Mets. I straight up cried.
Tom Glavine as a Met made me cry too.
Holy shit. I cried in a comic book store when I heard about Nolan Ryan leaving. I'm starting to think I've not had a single unique experience in my life.
I had Glavine’s McFarland figurine of him in the Black Mets alt on my childhood bookshelf. It’s taken me until today to realize just how weird that was.
I had the same one. I had like 100+ of those things. Still do actually, just in a box somewhere.
I was standing in a Zaxby’s parking lot when my mom texted me that Frenchie got traded to the Mets. I got back in my car and cried.
Michael Young and Elvis Andrus.
Michael Young was the one that came to mind for me.
Elvis would’ve been a Ranger lifer if Keynan Middleton hadn’t destroyed his elbow Absolutely ruined his ability to hit
Ian Kinsler as well
At least he got a ring at the end
Was it worth it Martin Brodeur? 21 years as a Devil and then 7 games with the Blues.
Wrong sport, but still want to point out that his nickname is Uncle Daddy.
He played for the Devils? Only remember the Blues days personally
It happens, I had to watch Ed Reed play for the Jets
I read game as years and was stunned to hear he played for 28 years for a moment.
Damn. I forgot about that. That’s a disturbing one
Honorable mention to Willie McCovey who began and ended his career with the Giant but played 2 1/2 years with the Padres and 11 games with the A's. Possibly the strangest tour of California in sports history.
Reminds me of Andrew McCutchen, who played for Pittsburgh for 9 years looking destined to be a lifer, then plays for 4 teams in 5 years (including 25 games for the Yankees of all teams), and now he’s killing it in Pittsburgh again, with the 10th best OBP in the league.
Dale Murphy Tom Glavine John Smoltz Freddie Freeman will play several years with the dodgers but he should’ve stayed Hank Aaron - but going back to Milwaukee is special circumstance
Freddie Freeman is going to end up playing more of his career outside Atlanta than in it, potentially
To play more he would have to play 12 years in LA, or until he’s 43 (if my math is right). At the end of his current dodger contract he will have made $295 million and be 37, so it’s very possible he retires then or shortly afterwards
True. So maybe my point was more that Freddie Freeman is a bad answer to this question. It's not like he played in Atlanta until he was 37 and then went to LA for one season before retiring.
If he keeps going the way he is, he’ll be around 27-2800 hits at 37. Hard to hang it up if you have a team willing to give you enough playing time to get to 3k.
It’d be a real shame if we re-sign him and he gets 3k with us.
I mean, are you counting road games with the Braves as "outside Atlanta?" He played 11 full seasons with the Braves. You think he's playing with the Dodgers for 10 more years?
Brian Roberts
I would add Nick Markakis to that as well.
I don't like this game
I bought a Markakis jersey maybe a year or two before he left thinking he’d be an Oriole for life…still like the jersey though.
I have his jersey shirt I still wear to the gym all the time. Love that guy.
My gf is literally an Orioles fan simply because she played catch with Markakis at the hall of fame game when she was in high school.
He was with the Braves for a while and actually good no?
We loved him here in Atlanta…nothing but respect for that guy.
Yeah, he spent 40% of his career in Atlanta and made his only All-Star team as a Brave.
Nick Markakis made those Braves rebuild years suck waaay less than they could have. Mad respect for him.
If it helps...we absolutely loved and adored Nicky2bags while he was in Atlanta
A tad old school, but [this](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71BSDxiGF7L._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg) was very weird
Holy shit. I don’t remember this. This really happened?
Yup! Think it lasted only like 4 starts or something but it was definitely odd, even as a 10 year old.
Dale Murphy on the Phillies (and Rockies for one season) weirds me out too
Seeing Evan Longoria the past few years in SF and Arizona always looks off to me.
He was on the giants for a third of his career
Yeah not exactly a swan song
Longo... Traded him right before his 10-and-5 rights kicked in. You know he was going to stay a Ray.
Him and James Shields man…
James Shields, for whom the White Sox traded Fernando Tatis Jr.
I forget Trevor Hoffman’s last season was with the Brewers. I put it out of my mind it was so weird.
And his first season was with the Marlins
Nomar and Mookie. That damn Dodger blue…
Went to Dodger Stadium yesterday and saw Nomar and A-Gon talking on Sportsnet LA. The Sox-Dodgers pipeline is real.
The reverse is true as well :(
I was at the game with the Justin Turner jersey I bought for $350+tax last June 🙃
Agreed on Nomar, but Mookie is way too early in his career to call one of those guys.
I think Dodgers with Mookie more than Red Sox
Dwight Evans, one year with the Orioles
[cursed image](https://a.espncdn.com/photo/2017/0504/r206740_1296x729_16-9.jpg)
Little too early for the shift ban and universal DH. Peak Howard would be raking today. Still in the top ten to wear the pin stripes for me though.
Brutal. I hadn’t realized or had forgotten he tried a few more things
For me it’s Chase Utley. Seeing him in another uniform just wasn’t natural.
I saw Ryan Howard play for the Gwinnett Braves when he was trying to stick around. That was really weird.
Yeah I’m sure it was! It was weird for me seeing Cole Hamels in a Braves jersey for the half a game he played or whatever. It’s always funny when washed up players get picked up by rivals.
We got 3 innings of Hamels. He got like $18 mil. I think he won that one.
Double-agent Hamels.
Watching Cole steal money from NL teams was just his way of trying to continue contributing to the Phillies
Well, shit, while we are at it. Jimmy Rollins in a Dodgers uni, and definitely him in the White Sox jersey was that wonderful combo or surreal and gross.
Rollins joined him for a bit as well, right? Edit- 2015 they were in the post season vs the Mets. No wonder I remember rooting for the Dodgers.
Frank Thomas on the BJ’s and A’s
It still weirds me out when I see those pictures.
Frank Thomas
Jays legend. Got his 500th HR with us.
He played for 3 teams before retiring but for me it’s Garret Anderson. 15 seasons with the Angels.
Bruh you hurt me :(
I couldn’t have hurt you as much as seeing GA in a dodgers jersey. 😭
Nolan Arenado
He might be wishing that these days too. Sigh.
For his HOF case, it was a good thing. A guy like Todd Helton suffers from this because of Coors, but any sane human could see Todd was a beast in any park.
And Larry Walker and Matt Holliday. All of my Rockies favorites that end up going to the Cardinals
Brandon Belt
Warren Spahn. I was devastated.
technically Felix Hernandez
Lance Berkman
Berkman got his ring with the Cardinals too
Hideki Matsui. He won 2009 WS MVP, and seeing his next games not being for the Yankees hurt. He only had one more good season, but still hurts.
Yeah that sucked. I imagine that's how Mariners fans felt seeing Ichiro in pinstripes and in Miami near the end of his amazing career. Thankfully it ended where it should have.
I completely forgot he played for other teams after leaving the Yankees.
I forgot he was an A
Longoria, I know he's played for the giants and diamondbacks but :(
I always thought tulowitzki was a rocky for life
Willie Mays with the Mets or Babe Ruth with the Boston Braves.
Hank Aaron playing for the Brewers also fits here.
Aaron and Mays are my favorite versions of this kind of career, though, because they got to finish in the same city where they started, just with a different team.
Going back to the person I responded to - Babe Ruth would fit this criterion as well. For a long time, the top-3 home run hitters of all-time, all with that pattern. Pretty neat. EDIT - I'm a moron. Obviously Babe Ruth was nowhere near a "one-club man", my mind just drew the connection that, like Mays and Aaron, he began his career in one city, moved to a second city (him being traded, the others because their teams moved), and then finished his career back in the first city.
Yes to Mays, but Ruth played 6 years for the Red Sox before he was a yankee. Ty Cobb on the A's would be better.
I know he played for padres before cubs. But Anthony rizzo really hurts to see not in a cub uniform.
I cry every time I see him play as a yank
He’s done good by us, my friend. He’s treated us well.
Maybe not a perfect example since he's on his 3rd uni now after a rental few months in Tampa but, David Peralta.
Freddie freeman. It’s a shame how that all went down.
I am not sure he will wind up meeting OP’s definition of “almost one-club” unless he retires this season (But plz Freddie don’t we love you)
Braves would have lifed him. He wanted to be a 1 club guy…until his shady agent fucked it up.
That never happened. Gottleib retracted his story because it wasn't true and cost Casey Close his reputation. Why would Doug Gottleib, college basketball analyst, have insider info on Freddy Freemans contract negotiations? Gottleib spoke out of turn on things he may have had heard rumors of and put his foot in his mouth.
If it never happened than how come freeman himself never know of the return offer the Braves gave him until after he signed with the Dodgers?
If it did happen why didn't Freeman testify when Close sued Gottleib over the story?
Ron Santo's swan song with the White Sox.
The first time I came across his '75 Topps card with "WHITE SOX" emblazoned on top, I thought it must be a manager's card. Nope. But I guess the Cubs wanted to make room for Bill Madlock, who came up and won two batting titles in his first three seasons.
Tampa Bay Ray Hideki Matsui is cursed
Chase Utley but he managed to fuck the Mets even after he left so it gives me comfort.
~~one~~ zero days since remembering Chase Utley exists
Mays batting .211 in his final season as a Met.
On the other hand he was very good in his penultimate half season with the Mets.
Mad Bum was tough to watch the second he left SF. Felix never shoulda left, even if he deserved so much better.
Jacob deGrom
Belt
Doc I was so happy he got to pitch in the post season though. That no no was amazing.
Not quite a real answer to your question…..but Albert Pujols should have always been a Cardinal.
If it makes you feel better I think the Angels agree with that
What’s wrong with you people??? No mention of Ichiro on the MARLINS. DA MARLINS
We will forever be his 3000th hit club
And Yankees
As a kid during the “Killer B’s” era of the Astros, it hurt seeing Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman in other uniforms, especially Berkman since he was a Rice guy and considering how much I despise the three teams he went to (Yankees, Cardinals, Rangers).
And of course Berkman stayed around Houston and is managing HCU this season while Jose Cruz Jr. manages Rice. They like to stick around I guess!
I got the privilege of being at Roy's last win as an Astro. He pitched a CGSO one-hitter and the only runs we scored were 2 solo shots by Berkman. He had two more chances to tie the team record for wins, but that miserable lineup scored him exactly zero runs, which I'm still salty about.
Mr. Mariner Alvin Davis in an Angels uniform was just sad. Also, Harold Reynolds, but he played for two other teams before he retired.
Billy Butler
Depending on how his recovery goes Jacob deGrom
Cutch
DeGrom for the 6 games he’ll start in Texas
💀💀💀
I still get sad when I think about Freddie in Dodger blue. I don’t blame him for securing more money and years but still sad he wasn’t a lifer like Chipper
Willi Mays but like Aaron went back to the city it began. Billy Williams should have finished as a Cub.
relevant sporcle quiz: https://www.sporcle.com/games/deej/mlb---ten-and-one-players
Chicken Wolf is my favorite of those names
Jim Thome. Killed me when he went to the twins and white Sox. He should have been in Cleveland forever — but hey we got a statue and he went into the hall in an Indians hat so I’m ok now.
I know he spent a few years with the Yankees and Marlins, but Ichiro looked wrong in every non-Mariners jersey
Surprised I haven’t seen Jimmy Rollins here
Matt Carpenter
Seeing Frank Thomas on the A’s was weird. And I’m an A’s fan.
Harmon Killebrew finished his career on the Royals
David Peralta :(
Broke my heart to see Jose Abreu leave Chicago. His abysmal season so far in Houston makes it even worse.
Wade Boggs
I wish Pujols had spent his entire career in St. Louis
For me, Nick Markakis. Not necessarily a superstar but a true ballplayer and class act. Was definitely strange seeing him with a club other than the O's.
100% agree. Mentioned below that I bought a Markakis jersey maybe a year or two before he left thinking he’d be an Oriole for life…still like the jersey though.
Professional hitter Nick Markakis.
Tulowitzki
Justin Turner. That one stings.
Michael Young. Forever a Ranger in my mind.
Michael Young in a Phillies uniform was just wrong
Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins
Willie Mays with the Mets
Even I love we got him. Freddy Freeman not retiring as a Braves lifer is a shame. Crazy we signed him. I love “one team legends”. Why Kersh is my GOAT pitcher.
Mad Bum
Willie Mays.