"As someone who followed a regimented program that served him well in a career that spanned 18 seasons and a Major League record 601 saves, Trevor Hoffman admitted to being ill-equipped and uneasy in trying to tackle his retirement speech.

"I went to bed last night thinking about, 'What are you going to come out and say? Are you going to try to be profound with something?'" Hoffman said on Wednesday during his retirement ceremony at PETCO Park. "The one word that kept recurring was 'thankful,' ... how thankful I was to be a part of Major League Baseball."

Hoffman, 43, bid farewell to a playing career that saw him evolve from a light-hitting Minor League shortstop into a lockdown closer who stood the test of time and appears destined for the Hall of Fame after an illustrious run that began in 1993. "