Lowell had the urge to say “Yes,” just for fun, but he also knew he had a microphone recording his every word and didn’t want to come across in that way.
So he gave Anthony an answer that seemed simple enough, but resonates throughout New England.
“I’m just a baseball player,” father told son.
Just a little more than an hour later Lowell’s career as a baseball player was through, having gone 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored before being pulled from the game with the New York Yankees and given one last chance to tip his cap to the adoring crowd at Fenway Park.
Lowell will not play the rest of the weekend after “Thanks, Mike" Day at the park, which saw him receive a tribute that even the fan favorite and former World Series MVP felt was a bit too much. Not that he didn’t appreciate everything that was done for him, Lowell just did not know if he was worthy of such praise.
The applause alone should’ve given him some indication.
“I wanted really to take the time to tell the fans what that meant to me, these five years, because I think I’ve gotten a response that has been much more than really what I think I deserve,” Lowell said.
The day that ended it all for Lowell included a gift of $100,000 from the Red Sox to the Mike Lowell Foundation, the delivery of third base into Lowell’s hands, appearances by former teammates and friends Mike Redmond and Alex Cora and that video tribute.
Lowell then had a chance to address the crowd while standing at the position he manned admirably for four years before being thrust into a limited role by the arrival of Adrian Beltre.
“I just want to thank God for allowing me the privilege and opportunity to wear this jersey, to play in this ballpark, to represent the city of Boston and to share so many memories with all of you,” Lowell said before signing off.
The 36-year-old appears to have timed his retirement perfectly. He is not the same player he once was due to a variety of physical ailments, most notably his troublesome hip and most recently a broken rib. But also he is going out on his own terms and wearing the uniform he wanted to wear on his final day as a player.
His timing on the field has been brilliant this season, too. He homered in his first at-bat after surviving the trade deadline (Lowell was nearly shipped, but holds no hard feelings) and gave the fans at Fenway more to cheer about Saturday by lacing a two-run double his first time up.
Lowell walked and scored in the third and then poked a drive off the Green Monster in the fifth, narrowly missing a home run and settling for a wall-ball single. With that, it was time to call it quits.
Rookie Lars Anderson went to take Lowell’s place at first base and the veteran was given one last ovation. He stood in front of the Red Sox dugout and waved to the standing sellout.
Below stood Lowell’s teammates, providing their own applause. Following the affair, one of the veterans of the bunch put it best when describing the impact Lowell had in his five years in Boston.
“The best,” Tim Wakefield said when asked what kind of teammate Lowell was. “He epitomized professionalism and sets a standard for being a team leader, not only vocally but through example in the way he prepared himself and the way he played.”
Lowell said later that he is not done with the game. He is happy to return to his wife and two kids in Florida with “nothing on my agenda” but figures to find work in baseball down the road.
“I enjoy more aspects than just playing the game and I would find it hard to say I’m not going to do anything related to the game forever,” he added.
Lowell’s ability to communicate, his patience, his sense of teamwork and his knowledge of the game will make him an excellent coaching candidate in the future.
Many of those qualities came from his parents, especially his father, Carl, who threw out the first pitch to his son to cap the ceremony. The two embraced in front of the mound and, as Mike Lowell later said, things had come full circle.
Lowell said his best memories as a kid were Wednesday afternoons. That was when his father worked a half-day and would take his son to the park for pepper and games of catch.
Knowing the kind of arm his father had from years of those Wednesday afternoon sessions, Lowell was not shocked to see Carl Lowell fire in a heater for the first-pitch ceremony.
“I’m glad he got to show off,” Mike Lowell said.
Someday, Anthony will say the same thing of his dad, who did it for five years in Boston.
