PORT LUCIE, Fla., March 29 (UPI) -- Five-time major league all-star Andres Galarraga, known as the 'Big Cat' during his 19-year major league career, announced his retirement Tuesday.
"This is a sad day for me, but I honestly felt it was the right time to step away," Galarraga, 43, said at the training camp of the New York Mets, who signed him in December.
Mets General Manager Omar Minaya said Galarraga "always handled things with class and dignity throughout his entire career."
The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Galarraga won the National League batting title in 1993 with an average of .370.
He hit .288 with 399 home runs and 1,425 runs-batted-in in his career.
Galarraga missed most of last season because of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The disease forced him to miss the entire 1999 season.
Galarraga's career began in 1985 with the Montreal Expos. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Anaheim Angels.
