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Red Sox postseason legend Brock Holt announces retirement

By Gabrielle Starr|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 08: Brock Holt #12 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after hitting a two run home run against Austin Romine #28 of the New York Yankees during the ninth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 08, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 08: Brock Holt #12 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after hitting a two run home run against Austin Romine #28 of the New York Yankees during the ninth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 08, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

In the history of Major League Baseball, only one man has ever hit for the cycle in a postseason game.

That man is Brock Holt, the fan-favorite Boston Red Sox super-utility player, and on Thursday, he officially announced his retirement after a decade-long career.

Brock Holt officially retires, could return to Boston Red Sox in broadcast role in 2023

After a brief debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012, Holt arrived in Boston in 2013 for what would turn out to be seven years of his 10-year career. He finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2014, was an All-Star in 2015, and then played on three consecutive postseason teams. In Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS, he famously became the first and currently only player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game. Even better, he did it against the Yankees in their ballpark.

It’s fitting that the Sox postseason hero made his announcement on Thursday, the anniversary of another one of Boston’s historic postseason moments. On October 27, 2004, Keith Foulke tossed an Edgar Renteria comebacker to first, erasing 86 years of pain and suffering.

Holt was the perfect fit for Boston because his commitment and affinity for the people here went so far above and beyond his on-field work. His family chose to live in Massachusetts year-round, something few Sox players do, and continued to live here after he became a free agent following the 2019 season. He took it upon himself to be the team’s Jimmy Fund captain and went above and beyond in that role. He frequently hosted Jimmy Fund families at home games, and he and his wife Lakyn often went to spend time with Jimmy Fund patients even when the cameras weren’t around to capture the moment.

And even though Holt hasn’t played for the Sox in a few years, his family continues to support with the Jimmy Fund. He and his wife will run the Boston Marathon next year to raise money for them. Next spring, they plan to run the Boston Marathon to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

What Holt does next is unclear, but there is a good chance he ends up back at Fenway Park next season in a new role. When the Sox went to Cincinnati for a two-game series, Holt joined the studio broadcast for the pre- and postgame shows. He’d been a popular candidate for getting mic’d up during games when he played for the Sox, so unsurprisingly, his broadcast stint – reportedly an audition for next year – didn’t disappoint.

Hopefully, the next step of his career is a homecoming.

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