Tyler Wade announced his retirement Monday, thanking the Yankees for taking a chance on him at 18 and calling them “the best franchise in all of sports.” He also thanked the coaches, staff, trainers and fans who helped him along the way. To his teammates, he wrote: “I’m going to miss the grind, the clubhouse, the competition.”
Yankees fans have a few Wade moments worth keeping. Playing right field during Corey Kluber’s 2021 no-hitter, he made a running catch for the second out of the ninth. A month later, he scored the winning run on Luke Voit’s walk-off hit against Kansas City. And in 2021, his busiest season in pinstripes, Wade hit .268 and stole 17 bases in 103 games.
He wasn’t a superstar. He was the guy who could take the extra base, cover almost any spot, and give the Yankees exactly what they needed that day. He turned a fourth-round draft pick into parts of nine seasons in the majors. That underdog career deserves a tip of the cap.
Congratulations, Tyler. You earned every bit of it.
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