Charlie Culberson had been out of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting lineup for four days when he saw his name on their batting order for a Saturday game against the Colorado Rockies on September 25, 2016. He was 2 for 5 when he struck out Boone Logan in the 10th inning.
What followed was one of the most legendary moments in the history of Dodger Stadium:
In Vin Scully’s final home game after 67 years as a live commentator for the Dodgers, Culberson left the Rockies, securing a playoff spot.
Culberson, who ended his baseball career on Thursday, never had it better than that Sunday afternoon.
In a phone interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Culberson said he knew in March that this would be his last season.
“I just thought, damn, I really tried hard, especially in a position change at the end of my career. I had a lot of fun. It was never easy, but I always looked forward to it. But I knew I wouldn’t regret it. I kept playing, I kept trying, I did my best. Physically, I was capable of doing it. That was probably the coolest thing, I think, that I didn’t regret anything. I exhausted every opportunity to continue my baseball career.”
– Charlie Culberson, via AJC.com
Culberson, 35, had a batting average of .248 in 11 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. His game-winning home run was one of only 30 in his career.
Culberson posted a .275 batting average (22-for-80) in 49 regular-season games with the Dodgers during the 2016-17 season. 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 same year against the Houston Astros, he went 3-for-5 with a solo home run.
Culberson made his last major league batting appearance last July with the Braves. He attempted to pitch full-time this year but did not play in a game.
To say that Culberson, a third-generation professional baseball player, appreciated the historic aspect of his only regular-season home run in Los Angeles would be an understatement.
After the game, he had Scully personally sign the bat.
