If the Yankees win the 2021 World Series, Jay Bruce would get his first and only World Series ring, even if he was only around for 15 of the team’s 162 regular-season games.
Win or lose, Bruce is okay with never having won, or even played in, a World Series in his 13-year career, which wraps up Sunday when he retires after the Yankees’ series finale with the Rays in the Bronx. That’s because he’s at peace with his decision, and as he noted in his final media session, reflecting on his career has led him to realize how many other great moments he has seen or contributed to.
“I was talking with my wife Hannah last night, and it has to be the walk-off home run in Cincinnati in 2010 to clinch the division,” Bruce said when asked about his favorite memory in baseball. “I was 23 at the time, and I thought stuff like that happened all the time, but to know that the single moment I will remember most was 11 years ago now is pretty crazy.”
Of note, Bruce noted being part of multiple no-hitters, seeing Ken Griffey Jr.’s 600th home run, and being part of the Indians’ 22-game winning streak – which he got to 22 with a walk-off double. Many great moments in baseball, even if the ultimate October dream isn’t one of them.
“I didn’t reach the top of the hill, but that’s okay,” he said. “Looking back, it makes me appreciate everything else more, because so much has happened.”
Bruce had retirement thoughts creep into his mind as early as last offseason, but it wasn’t until his early struggles this season that the thought he was wrapping up stayed in the forefront of his mind. So, when he reached the decision to retire, he was glad that everyone he talked to about it, including the Yankees’ staff, was supportive and knew he hadn’t made the choice lightly.
“Everyone I talked to really listened to what my thoughts and feelings were, and honestly, I feel the way I spoke about it and approached it…people know I don’t make rash decisions, and I was very confident in my decision,” Brice said. “I’m really lucky that the people I’ve talked to have been so supportive. They all had questions, but the bottom line is I decided to do this, and everyone has been so supportive. That’s all that I could ask for.
When I spoke to people, the certainty with which I spoke about it left no doubt in peoples’ minds I had thought about it and it was the right decision for me.”
And, he’ll always be thankful that his final stop was with the Yankees, in a clubhouse where he got to sign the famous autograph wall of players who have gotten to wear pinstripes.
“I had other options, but I chose the Yankees because they are the Yankees, and I believe the guys in that room are as capable as anyone of winning a World Series,” Bruce said. “I appreciate the opportunity the Yankees gave me to come in and prove I was healthy enough to play.”
Bruce came to the Yankees looking to prove he could still be an asset, signing a non-roster deal looking to become a depth piece at both outfield corners and even first base, a position he had limited knowledge of. His “lane” ended up becoming “everyday first baseman” due to Luke Voit’s late-spring injury, and he’s grateful to the Yankees for the patience they showed and work they put in to help him try to be the best he could be at that position.
“The staff here was incredible in helping me work to essentially learn a new position. I’d played a little bit of first base, but it happened real quickly that I became the everyday first baseman for the Yankees for a bit,” Bruce said. “For all these guys to trust enough that I was capable to do that, and the willingness they had to work me through what it took to become a true first baseman, is something I’m so appreciative of.”
And appreciative, he is, of a dream come true – a dream he thinks everyone who has ever picked up a baseball has had, even if his dream only lasted a few weeks.
“I think that anyone who has ever played baseball, or even seen a game…whether they think about it consciously or not, they want to play for the Yankees,” Bruce said. “It’s the most storied franchise in the game, and I don’t take for granted one second putting the pinstripes on. It’s special that this is the last memory I’ll have playing baseball. I appreciate the Yankees, and do not for one second undervalue the time I’ve spent here.”
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