It is only human to play certain events through your mind repeatedly, analyzing what went wrong, what you could have done, and then regret that you didn’t do whatever task you are playing in your head differently. For 27-year-old Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler, the event that probably enters his head from time to time could be Game-1 of the National League Division Series at Oracle Park on October 8, 2021.

Thirty-four-year-old Leesburg, Georgia native and 12-year San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey didn’t hold back when up to bat against the Lexington, Kentucky native. Posey popped a two-run, opposite-field home run – on a 3-0 count – coming just a few feet shy of becoming the first right-handed batter to hit a ‘Splash Hit’ into McCovey Cove since the Giants downtown stadium opened in 2000.

“There are definitely butterflies, but I think those can be helpful, kind of heighten your focus,” Posey told reporters after the Giants 4-0 NLDS Game-1 win. “And, yeah, Buehler’s tough. He doesn’t give you a lot to hit sometimes, and fortunately, there, I got a pitch I could handle and got the barrel on it.”

The three-time World Series champion, seven-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glover winner, 2012 NL MVP and Batting Champion, and 2010 NL Rookie of the Year rocked the sports news world when it was being widely reported on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, that he was retiring from the game.

Sure enough, on Thursday morning, with his wife Kristen at his side and surrounded by Giants chairman Greg Johnson, team president Larry Baer and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, Posey formally announced that he was indeed retiring after 12 MLB seasons – all with the Giants.

“I want to do more stuff from February to November with family,” Posey said in a news conference on Friday morning. “Physically, it’s much harder now. It’s hard to enjoy it as much when there is physical pain that you’re dealing with.” Said Posey during his conference to announce his retirement.

Posey retired with exactly 1,500 big league hits and 158 home runs. He’ll be eligible for the Hall of Fame in five years. He informed media members that he plans to move back to his roots in Georgia to be closer to family.

When a player is good at the game – and Posey was exceptionally good at it – it is deemed acceptable to admire them, even if they are a member of your team’s fiercest rivals. There is just something special about witnessing someone great at their craft.

While baseball fans reflect on Buster Posey’s remarkable stats during his Hall of Fame-worthy 12-year MLB career, and reflect on how he changed the game forever due to a horrific home plate collision during the 2011 season, there is one thing you can be sure of – Walker Buehler will sleep a little better at night knowing that he will no longer have to face Buster Posey; at least until the next Buster Posey comes along – whoever that might be.

Congratulations on your retirement, Buster. It has been a pleasure watching you play the game that so many love – and play it the right way.

  *  *  *  *  *  *