Carlos Delgado announces retirement from baseball

Updated: April 13, 2011, 12:03 PM ET

Veteran slugger Carlos Delgado announced his retirement on Wednesday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, leaving the game with 473 home runs.

Delgado, 38, in 17 seasons as an outfielder, first baseman and desginated hitter with the Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins and New York Mets, had 11 seasons with 30-plus home runs and cracked the 40-homer plateau three times. He appeared in two All-Star Games and still holds several Blue Jays franchise records.

Delgado joined the Mets in 2006, leading the team to its most recent playoff appearance that season with 38 home runs and 114 RBIs. In the 2006 playoffs he batted .351 (13-for-37) with four home runs and 11 RBIs as the Mets came within a game of reaching the World Series.

Delgado struggled with hip injures his last few seasons, limiting his ability to play. His last major league appearance was with the Mets in 2009, as his attempt to catch on with the Boston Red Sox last season ended after five games at Triple-A Pawtucket.

"He was unbelievable for us when he was healthy, and he taught me how to play the right way," former Mets teammate Jose Reyes said Tuesday in Denver, according to the New York Daily News. "We were one victory from the World Series and he did everything he could to get us there."

Delgado's most complete season may have been in 2000 with Toronto, where he played in all 162 games, collected 196 hits -- including 41 home runs and an American League-best 57 doubles -- and posted career highs in batting average (.344) and slugging percentage (.664).

He still owns Blue Jays team records for most runs (889), doubles (343), home runs (336), RBIs (1,058), walks (827) and strikeouts (1,242).

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