He was the definition of a winner. He is the only baseball player to play in the Little League World Series, College World Series, Major League Baseball World Series, the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic.
He played in more postseason games than any Red Sox player in club history. He caught more games than any catcher in Red Sox history, breaking Carlton Fisk's long-standing record. He is the only catcher in the history of Major League Baseball to catch four no-hitters.
And to the best of my knowledge, he is the only player in Red Sox history to punch A-Rod in the face.
It all started back in 1997, when the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners signed the papers on what turned into one of the more lopsided trades in history. Boston shipped reliever Heathcliff Slocumb (in fairness, Slocumb was a beast in MLB Triple Play '97) to Seattle in exchange for young prospects Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe.
Five years later, it was Derek Lowe throwing a no-hitter to Jason Varitek. And two years after that, it was that same battery winning the series-clinching Game 4 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The iconic image above comes from earlier in that same magical season. On July 24th, 2004, the Red Sox found themselves trailing the New York Yankees 3-0 in the third inning of a game at Fenway Park. When Bronson Arroyo clocked Alex Rodriguez with a pitch and A-Rod inched his way toward the mound, Varitek stood his ground and protected his pitcher. It led to the brawl that Red Sox Nation remembers as the turning point in the long, long history of the Sox-Yanks rivalry.
Players were ejected and emotions finally calmed down, but the excitement was only beginning. Varitek watched from the clubhouse as the Yankees built a 9-4 lead by the time the top half of the sixth inning had concluded.
A sixth-inning rally made the deficit manageable, and the Sox were up against a 10-8 margin entering the bottom of the ninth. Although Varitek wasn't a part of this comeback on the field, he was certainly one of the men who sparked the ignition of the monster truck that became known as "The Idiots."
Just to give you a splash of nostalgia — Kevin Millar singled home Nomar Garciaparra in that ninth inning. A few minutes later, Bill Mueller blasted a two-run homer to deliver a blown save and a loss to Mariano Rivera and shoot the underdog idiots into a streak they would never forget.
Throughout Varitek's career, it was one memory like this after another. Prior to all of these festivities, he guided Hideo Nomo (2001) and Lowe (2002) into the history books by catching their no-hit performances. After the curse was snapped in 2004, he went on to lead the way for Clay Buchholz (2007) and Jon Lester (2008), who both threw their only no-hitters to the captain.
His .256 career batting average is less than stellar. But when you look back at his 757 career RBIs and think about how many of them were absolute history-changers for the Red Sox, it's pretty tough to fight the chills that rush down your spine.
No catcher will ever truly look the same behind the plate. His widespread stance that was hardly a squat. His loosely-knit catcher's mitt that magically stayed together, pitch after pitch. The way his mask would slide half way off his face on a throw down to second base. The way he jumped into a pitcher's arms after reaching the pinnacle of the baseball world.
His time as a player for the Red Sox has come to an end, but he will forever be a part of the Red Sox family. Whether he returns as a coach or a manager, or simply lives on in our hearts forever, his presence will remain. His sheer numbers may not qualify his jersey number to be retired, but let's be real for a moment.
Could you really read these stories, think back on the memories, and say the retirement of No. 33 is unjust?
I can't hang his number from the edge of the balcony at Fenway Park. Neither can you.
What we can do, however, is be thankful and appreciative of a career that molded our experience as Red Sox fans.
Thank you, 'Tek. Thank you for everything.
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