Tim Anderson announces retirement from baseball with White Sox, who will honor him Sept. 17

At the peak of his powers, former White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was flashy, skilled and clutch. His walk-off home run in the 2021 ‘‘Field of Dreams’’ game is one of the best moments in team history, and he was the face of the Sox’ ‘‘Change the Game’’ campaign.

On Monday, however, he was the face for mental health, clearly affected by a 10-year career that ended sooner than anyone thought it would. At 33, Anderson announced his retirement from baseball, and the Sox will honor him before their game Sept. 17, when the team will wear its original ‘‘Southside’’ City Connect uniforms.

During a Zoom call, Anderson said baseball brought him a lot of good moments but also a lot of pain. He was visibly sweating and needed to wipe his face.

‘‘It gives me anxiety just talking about baseball,’’ he said. ‘‘I want to be as open as I can, but the game brought a lot of pain. A lot of great moments, but there definitely were a lot of dark moments. I lost a lot of people, and it just got to the point where I really couldn’t enjoy it.’’

The good moments included two All-Star Game appearances (2021, 2022), one Silver Slugger Award (2020) and one American League batting title (2019). They also included his two-run homer in the ninth inning to beat the Yankees in the first MLB game played in an Iowa cornfield.

The bad moments came later. His play began to suffer in 2023, when he hit one homer and batted .245, after which the Sox granted him free agency. He also got knocked down in a fight at second base with the Guardians’ Jose Ramirez and shared he had had a child out of wedlock and was working through it with his wife, Bria.

Anderson said the Sox invited him to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at a game this season. That’s when he brought up his plan to retire with the team.

‘‘I get sad talking about it because this was the first team that gave me my opportunity, that took a chance on me,’’ he said. ‘‘I didn’t have a crazy résumé; I didn’t play at all the camps and stuff. They gave me a shot, and they stuck by my side. So I think it’s only right that I get to come back and retire a White Sox.’’

At one point, Anderson held back tears before speaking.

‘‘I came to the ballpark every day ready to compete,’’ he said. ‘‘Nobody knows what I’ve sacrificed, what I was leaving at home, from my kids to my wife. Through some of the decisions I made, I still kept going. And I had my moments, too, where it bothered me, but I couldn’t show it. And it got to a point where it started showing a lot, and I couldn’t control it.’’

Anderson said he’s happier in his post-baseball life with his family. He has a food truck, a developing clothing line and kids participating in cheer.

‘‘A lot of cool things,’’ he said. ‘‘I get to wake up every day and be happy. I ain’t gotta wake up hitting no curveball or worry about a 100 mph fastball to be able to provide for my family.’’