Romak announces his retirement

Junior National Team alum Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) has announced his retirement after 19 professional seasons. Photo: Baseball Canada

November 1, 2021

Baseball Canada

OTTAWA – After 19 seasons in professional baseball, Jamie Romak is ending his professional playing career.

The six-time Baseball Canada National Team member has been one of the most prolific hitters in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) since he was signed by the then SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) in 2017 hitting 155 home runs in five seasons with the franchise.

The London, Ont., native was originally drafted by Atlanta in the fourth round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft and spent 12 seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 along with a stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks the following season.

Romak took his powerful bat to Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars for the 2016 season and briefly returned to North America at the beginning of the 2017 season before signing with SK Wyverns.

In his five KBO seasons, Romak was an extremely productive hitter where he had seasons of 31, 43, 29, 32 and 20 home runs highlighted by a 2018 season where he slashed .316/.404/.597 and drove in 107 runs.

His 2020 season that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and separation from his young family was particularly trying for Romak off the field but his on-field performance was exceptional as he hit 32 homers which was the second-most out of his five KBO seasons.

For his efforts, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame named him the recipient of the Tip O’Neill Award as Canada’s top baseball player.

As an amateur player, Romak suited up for the Junior National Team and participated in the 2002 World Junior Baseball Championships alongside future big leaguers David Davidson, Chris Leroux, Adam Loewen and Chris Robinson.

He would make his Senior National Team debut in 2007 at the IBAF Baseball World Cup in Taiwan before capturing team MVP honours in 2010 after a standout performance at the COPABE Pan Am Games/World Cup Qualifier in Puerto Rico where he led Canada with five tournament home runs.

After helping Canada win a bronze medal at the 2011 Baseball World Cup in Panama, Romak’s national team career soared to new heights as he was a key piece of Canada’s gold medal triumph at the Pan Am Games in Mexico.

In 2017, Romak suited up for Canada at the World Baseball Classic in Miami.

All told, Romak’s 19 seasons in professional baseball saw him appear in 2,115 games and swat 386 home runs.