Joe Mauer isn’t sure if Sunday marked the end of his time with the Minnesota Twins.
Just in case, though, the regular season finale turned into a farewell befitting his remarkable career with his hometown team.
Mauer doubled in his final at-bat, received one more pitch as catcher, and then walked off to an extended ovation as Minnesota likely said goodbye to the longtime face of its franchise during an emotional 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox.
The 35-year-old Mauer was playing the final game of an eight-year, $184 million contract. So far, he’s been noncommittal regarding his plans for next year and beyond.
Mauer emerged from the dugout in his catching gear in the ninth, the first time he’d worn it since late 2013, when a series of concussions forced him to move to first base. He stood alone at home plate as fans, teammates and opponents showered him with applause.
The 2009 AL MVP caught one pitch from Matt Belisle. Then, with the theme music from “The Natural” playing over the speakers, he walked off to a final standing ovation and was replaced by Chris Gimenez.
Max Kepler and Jake Cave homered for the Twins, and reliever Andrew Vasquez (1-0) earned his first major league victory with one perfect inning of relief. Trevor May replaced Belisle and got three straight outs with the tying run on second in the ninth to earn his third save.
