Blevins speaks on decision to retire

Jerry Blevins may not know what he'll be doing for the rest of his life.But the Arcadia High School graduate had definite plans for his first day on the outside looking in at baseball."I'll see you guys at Citi Field tomorrow," he wrote on Twitter, the social-media outlet on which he announced his retirement Tuesday night. "Bringing my family to a ball game. Gonna have a beer and a hotdog and watch the @Mets. I've always been a fan first."Blevins, a left-handed relief pitcher, spent 13 seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Mets, Oakland A's, Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves. He acknowledged in his retirement announcement that he's been "all over the place emotionally" since reaching his decision in recent days.Blevins, who did not play in the coronavirus pandemic-shortened 2020 season after being released by the San Francisco Giants during the preseason, signed with the Mets to attempt a comeback this season with the goal of helping the Mets win the World Series. But he was sent to the Mets' alternate site in Brooklyn out of spring training, and he retired in advance of the start of the minor league season in May.Blevins was the prime character in a classic underdog story.After starring at tiny Arcadia in baseball, basketball and football, Blevins made the University of Dayton baseball team as a walk-on. After his junior season, the Chicago Cubs drafted him in the 17th round of the 2004 major league draft. He was the 516th player chosen.He worked his way to Class AA before he was traded to the A's. And by season's end, he was in the majors.Now, after 609 games, 30 wins, 13 losses, seven saves, 101 holds and a 3.54 earned run average, the kid who grew up playing youth baseball in Fostoria, he's calling it a career."I've always understood the unlikely, I guess, career arc that I've had," Blevins said in a recent interview. "From playing baseball at Arcadia or playing at Meadowlark (now Foundation) Park for Frankart Eggs or Roppe Rubber, those are pieces of my baseball career and life that I cherish."But it also gave me an appreciation for what I've been able to do. I've been pretty lucky and I've been able to take advantage of almost every opportunity that's been presented to me through hard work and dedication and luck."So, I've never taken it for granted. I've been really appreciative that so many things had to go my way — timing and trades and all that stuff. I've really been able to cherish it. And I understand that I've worked hard and I had the talent, but there are so many people who have helped me along the way and so many things have fallen in my direction that I've been grateful for."In 2017, Blevins received a lifetime pass for himself and a guest from Major League Baseball for his longevity. That's something he'll take into retirement along with a wealth of memories."As far as individual things, I've been able to face and strike out Ken Griffey Jr., who was my childhood hero," he said. "That's No. 1. Being teammates with Hall of Famers, watching Dallas Braden's perfect game in 2010, watching Jacob deGrom pitch in 2015, '16, '17 and '18. The 2012 run we made in Oakland where we chased down the Rangers and made it to the playoffs has probably been my favorite season. And being in the playoffs in '12, '13, '14, '15 and '16 was pretty amazing. I got to play for Team USA in 2007 (in the World Cup of Baseball). I've gotten to do all sorts of things."Josh Dawson, now a real-estate agent in the Columbus suburb of Dublin, grew up in Fostoria with Blevins and played travel ball with him."Even though our lives took us different places across the country after college, we kept in touch and remain friends," Dawson said in a Twitter message. "To this day, he's still the charismatic guy who keeps his head down, works hard and treats everyone with the utmost respect. The blessings of his major-league career couldn't have been given to a more deserving person. I'm excited to see what he does next."