Longtime Chicago Cubs Nemesis Officially Announces His Retirement

One of the long-time divisional rivals of the Chicago Cubs has called it a career.

Jul 2, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) reacts at second base after hitting a two run double against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Great American Ball Park / David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs know all too well how difficult it is to move on from an era, a group of players, or even a singular player that has done so much for their franchise.

That's the crux with every sports team.

Fans always love athletes who perform at a high level, but when the writing is on the wall that they are no longer the same player as they once were, it becomes hard for everyone to let go of what had happened in the past.

For the Cubs, it was a slow process following their World Series win in 2016.

Players on that team are beloved by Chicago fans everywhere for ending one of the longest championship droughts in the history of professional sports in the United States, but when it became clear the organization had to move on, they slowly started to put that era in the rearview.

When it came to the Cincinnati Reds and Joey Votto, their 17 years spent together ended this past offseason when the team decided not to re-sign the franchise legend.

Now, after attempting to play with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays to close out his career, the longtime Cubs nemesis has officially announced his retirement.

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Votto will have spent all 17 of his Major League seasons with the Reds, putting together a borderline Hall of Fame career that saw him win an NL MVP, a Gold Glove award, earn six All-Star selections and record 2,135 hits, 356 homers, 1,144 RBI and 1,365 walks.

Considered one of the most patient power hitters of all time, he led the league in walks five times and had an OPS over .900 nine times.

Chicago fans certainly didn't like seeing him lace it up against their team for this long, either.

When facing the Cubs, Votto had a .304 batting average, 257 hits, 50 homers and 150 RBI in 229 games played in this matchup per StatMuse.

Unfortunately, his retirement didn't end on the note he wanted.

Once Cincinnati decided not to pursue a reunion with the franchise legend, Votto tried to catch on with the Blue Jays, but a sprained ankle didn't allow the reunion to take place as he could never break out of the minors.

Maybe it's fitting he wasn't able to suit up in the MLB for another team other than the Reds.

Votto will certainly go down as one of the best players in this generation, and even though much of that time was spent torturing Chicago, it's hard not to tip a cap to what he accomplished during his career.