Randy Choate’s idol is Jesse Orosco. Very early in his career, when he came up with the Yankees in the early 2000s, Choate told me his goal was to be just like Orosco, who retired after appearing in a record 1,252 games and pitched until he was 47.
Choate came up just a little short.
Without any solid offers to keep going in 2017, Choate — your classic lefty reliever and a member of the 2000 world champion Yankees — is calling it quits.
“Just figured it was kind of about time to move on,” Choate, 41, told me over the phone Wednesday night.