Former Royals outfielder and all-time MLB personality announces his retirement

While the Kansas City Royals didn’t make the postseason, that means they can watch and enjoy former players who are bidding for a World Series title, such as former starting pitcher Brad Keller.

As the playoffs roll on, there was one bittersweet announcement this weekend from a former fan favorite Royals player, Brett Phillips.

Acquired in the trade that sent Mike Moustakas to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018, Phillips played a season and a half for the Royals, starting with 30 games in 2019.

In 2020, he appeared in another 18 games before he was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s with Tampa that the outfielder became internet famous despite not being a particularly good hitter at the Major League Level.

Former Kansas City Royals outfielder, Tampa World Series hero, Brett Phillips calls it a career

The outfielder, forever a legend with the Rays, announced on Sunday that he was putting an end to his professional baseball career.

“It’s time for me to close a chapter of playing and open a new one,” Phillips said in a video where he stood in front of a whiteboard showing the names of people he credited for making a difference in his career.

“I hope to stay in the game in some capacity, and I look forward to seeing you guys around, especially the people on this board and shaking your hand in person and telling you thank you in person,” he said.

Phillips bounced around the majors, playing for the Brewers, Royals, Rays, Orioles, and Angels. He also spent time in the Minors with the White Sox and, most recently, the Yankees, where he tried to rejuvenate his career as a pitcher, rather than an outfielder.

Phillips is best known for his heroics for the Rays just a few months after the Royals dealt him to Tampa. In Game 4 of the 2020 World Series, Phillips notched the only postseason hit of his career in walk-off fashion off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen with two runners on in a one-run game, and with the Rays down to their last strike.

The outfielder who hit .150 that season for Tampa after hitting .226 for the Kansas City Royals, lined a pitch to center to score the tying run from second. The ball was then booted by center fielder Chris Taylor allowing Randy Arozarena to score from first.

As the Rays celebrated the big win, Phillips ran into the outfield with his arms outstretched at his side like a human airplane. While the Dodgers went on to win the series in six games, Phillips was a hero for fans of the AL East team ever since.

From all-out celebrations, to his late-career switch to pitching, to even playing the role of mid-game animal control, Phillips did it all during his baseball career.