Torii Hunter sheds tears at retirement presser, plans to stay in baseball

Torii Hunter announced his retirement from baseball after 19 major-league seasons in October, but he officially said goodbye to the game he loves so much on Thursday in Minnesota.

Hunter took the podium with Twins manager Paul Molitor and general manager Terry Ryan for his retirement press conference at Target Field, and got extremely emotional during Ryan's initial address.

Hunter quickly wiped away the tears, though, and cut the tension by cracking a joke about being able to "lay out nude" on a beach with his wife Katrina now that baseball is in the rearview mirror. He then shifted his focus to thanking everyone that played an integral part in his career on and off the field before speaking about his decision to retire.

"I just thought it was time. It took me an hour and a half to get warmed up, I missed so many things with my family," the 40-year-old exclaimed. "Two years ago I was thinking about it. I played two extra years."

But it wasn't long until a reporter asked Hunter if he can actually step completely away from the game for good.

"Baseball is in my blood. I'm just transitioning. I might be taking some time off. Just focusing on today. In the near future, I'm definitely going to be in baseball in some way," Hunter replied.

Hunter, never at a loss for words, also revealed several TV networks have reached out to him about potentially becoming an analyst, but he plans to take a few months to consider the offers.

In 2,373 games, Hunter hit .277 with 353 homers and 1,391 RBIs for the Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, and Twins. He was a first-round selection of the Twins in the 1993 draft and played 12 years for the franchise.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)