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Longtime minor leaguer Cody Decker belts walk-off home run, promptly retires

Sam Cooper
College football writer
15 SEPTEMBER 2015: San Diego Padres first baseman Cody Decker (28) at bat during the Major League Baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., USA. (Photo by Wilfred Perez/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
After 1,033 games in the minors and just eight in the big leagues, Cody Decker is calling it a career. (Getty Images)

Cody Decker went out on his own terms.

Decker, a 32-year-old first baseman who has spent all but eight of his 1,000-plus games played as a professional baseball player in the minor leagues, blasted a walk-off home run for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, late Friday night.

And after that thrilling moment, Decker decided to call it a career.

Decker went out as the active home run leader among minor leaguers. Friday night’s long ball was home run No. 206 for Decker, a 22nd-round pick by the San Diego Padres back in 2009. From there, Decker bounced around multiple organizations, including the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, and spent time in Mexico before being picked up by Arizona ahead of the 2018 season.

In all, Decker played for 13 different professional teams before his career culminated with Friday night’s heroics, a real-life “Bull Durham” moment. It was a moment Decker says he will always cherish.

From TahoeOnStage.com:

“I never really knew I’d get the chance to do it,” Decker said. “It was a really special night and one of the best of my career, something I’ll never forget. The fact I got to share it with these teammates, you can’t beat it. That moment coming off the field is something I never knew would happen. Getting all those hugs at home, then having a curtain call from the fans. It wasn’t just the fans which is amazing, it was my teammates on the top step both giving me a standing ovation.”

Decker got a brief call-up to the big leagues for the Padres in 2015, when he went 0-for-11 with an RBI. Other than that, he finishes his minor league career with a .260 average and 645 RBIs in 1,033 games over the course of 11 seasons.

Decker says he has his next step already mapped out, too. Decker told TahoeOnStage.com that he has accepted a position at a nonprofit organization in El Paso, Texas. Decker and his wife, Jennifer Sterger, also have a deal to host a national radio show.

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