1,000 Words: Yes, Joe, there’s crying in baseball

Joe Mauer doubled in his final at bat on Sunday, then gave every indication his career with the Twins is over when he caught a single pitch in the ninth inning before exiting to the cheers of a tearful hometown crowd.

Mauer said he hadn’t opened the bag with his catching gear since 2013. But he said he found it at home, put it on, got emotional, and came up with the idea.

Long after the game ended, fans at Target Field stayed to watch Joe Mauer’s news conference on the video scoreboard. Bob Collins | MPR News

There aren’t that many people sportswriters will applaud after a news conference.