The Washington Nationals’ first-ever Draft pick, Ryan Zimmerman – aka “Mr. National” – announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Tuesday.

“Although my baseball career has come to an end, my family and I will continue to be heavily involved in the DMV community,” he says in a statement.  “You have given so much to us over the past 17 years; it is now time for us to give back to you.”

“So this is not a goodbye but more of a ‘see you around,'” he adds.

The 37-year-old is retiring having accomplished a lot. He scored a legendary home run during the 2019 World Series, a first in the franchise’s history, per MLB.com. Zimmerman  had more games played, hits and home runs compared to any other player on his team, according to the Washington Post.

Zimmerman clearly left his mark on D.C., there’s even a playground in Southwest dedicated to him.

However, Mr. National’s tenure has not been without controversy. He was criticized for his chummy relationship with former President Donald Trump. He also sued Al Jazeera America for libel; a controversial documentary produced by them accused him of using human growth hormones.

The retirement of the longest-tenured Nats player was no surprise, and Zimmerman’s 1,799th career game on Oct. 3, 2021 got emotional for this very reason. He received a standing ovation from a packed stadium of nearly 34,000 fans.

Zimmerman was a part-time first baseman in his final season. He admitted it was a tough one, saying “I started the year around 50/50 [in terms of playing next season], and it hasn’t gone up.”

“It was an honor to be part of the special brotherhood that is Major League Baseball”  Zimmerman says in his retirement announcement. “To have the opportunity to compete at such a high level was a privilege and I can honestly say I didn’t take for granted one single day.”