Athletes Who Came Back to Their Original Teams For Final Seasons

(cont’d)

MLB

Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners

Ichiro already had an MVP, a couple battling titles and 3,000 hits when he decided to come back home and finish his career with the Mariners. It didn’t last long, however, as he moved to a front-office position after 15 games. The following year, he came out of retirement for the Mariners’ opening series in Tokyo, going 0-for-5 with a walk in two games, but it was kind of gimmicky.

Second stint w/Mariners: 17 GP, .429 OPS

Jose Reyes, New York Mets

Reyes left the Mets high and dry at the end of the 2011 season for big money with Miami. He wound up bouncing around and his career would never be the same. His career hit an all-time low point in 2015 (then with Colorado) when he was charged with domestic violence (later dropped). The Rockies wanted nothing to do with him but his old team was there to pick him up. He had two solid seasons in his return — including a return to the postseason 10 years after the Mets memorable 2006 NLCS run — but he struggled to crack the Mendoza Line in his final MLB season.

Second stint w/Mets: 315 GP, .704 OPS

Tom Glavine, Atlanta Braves

The crafty lefty spent his first 16 seasons in Atlanta before bolting in free agency for their biggest rival, the Mets. Glavine had some success in New York — he was also part of the 2006 run mentioned above — then went home for his final season. His ERA (5.54) and win total (2) were the lowest since his first MLB season, and also identical to his first season.

Second stint w/Braves: 13 GP, 5.54 ERA

Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners

Kid Griff came back home after nine seasons away, hitting 19 jacks in the first season of his second stint with the M’s. His second season back, however, was a nightmare. He was caught napping during games, then he was benched, then a retirement announcement came soon after. He didn’t homer in his 33-game final season, but his final MLB hit was a walk-off.

Second stint w/Mariners: 150 GP, .679 OPS

Alfonso Soriano, New York Yankees

The best Soriano was Yankee Soriano, in my opinion. His first stint was cut short because he was part of the deal that brought in A-Rod, but had another go-round at the end of his career you might have forgotten about. Like many others who came home at the end, Soriano had a good start — .850 OPS in 58 games — before fizzling out. The Yanks DFA’d him in the second year of his return and he never played in the MLB again. Either way, as a native New Yorker, it was nice to see him back in pinstripes.

Second stint w/Yankees: 125 GP, .730 OPS