Ex-Dodger Who Delivered Iconic Moment Announces Retirement

J.P. Hoornstra | Sep 19, 2024

Oct 17, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) celebrates with second baseman Charlie Culberson (37) after defeating the Chicago Cubs during game three of the 2017 NLCS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. / Jim Young-Imagn Images

Charlie Culberson hadn't been in the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting lineup for four days when he saw his name penciled into their batting order for a Saturday game against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 25, 2016. He was 2 for 5 when he batted in the 10th inning against Boone Logan.

What followed was one of the most iconic moments in Dodger Stadium history:

In Vin Scully's final home game after 67 years as the Dodgers' play-by-play broadcaster, Culberson walked off the Rockies and clinched a playoff berth in the process.

Culberson, who retired from baseball Thursday, never had it better than he did that one Sunday afternoon.

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In a telephone interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Culberson said he knew this would be his final season back in March.

"I was just thinking to myself, like, dang, I really tried really hard, especially at a position transition at the end of my career. I had a lot of fun with it. It never felt easy, but I was always excited to do it. But I knew there was no regret. I kept playing, I kept trying, I gave it my best. Physically, I was able to do it. That was probably the coolest thing, I guess, is that I didn’t leave any regret on the table. I kind of exhausted all options of me continuing my baseball career.”

- Charlie Culberson, via AJC.com

Culberson, 35, batted .248 over parts of 11 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. His playoff-clinching homer was one of just 30 in his career.

With the Dodgers from 2016-17, Culberson batted .275 (22 for 80) in 49 regular season games. He also appeared in 14 postseason games as the Dodgers returned to the NLCS for the first time in seven years, and the World Series for the first time since 1988.

In the 2017 NLCS against the Chicago Cubs, Culberson went 5 for 11 (.455) with a triple and two doubles.. In the World Series that year against the Houston Astros, he went 3 for 5 with a solo home run.

Culberson took his final big league at-bat with the Braves last July. He tried converting to pitching full-time this year, but did not appear in any games.

To say Culberson, a third-generation professional baseball player, appreciated the historic aspect of his lone regular-season home run in Los Angeles would be an understatement.

After the game, he had the bat autographed by Scully himself.