John Kruk had the physique of Babe Ruth, the batting eye of Tony Gwynn and the sarcastic wit of David Letterman.

He chain-smoked cigarettes, didn't watch his weight and proudly wore the same T-shirt day after day, which proclaimed him as a top-notch moaner. Though he may have looked like the average American couch potato, Kruk had a career that baffled health experts who said a man in his physical condition couldn't play baseball.

But after complaining of pain in his knees during his comeback with the White Sox, Kruk finally called an end to his 10-year major league career Sunday by retiring after a first-inning single off Scott Erickson in the White Sox's 8-3 loss to Baltimore.

Kruk left the ballpark during the middle of Sunday's game so he could escape without making a big deal out his retirement. Kruk left a statement for the media that read:

"The desire to compete at this level is gone. When that happens, it's time to go."

Kruk finished with a lifetime batting average of .300, with 100 home runs and 592 RBI.

On Sunday, manager Terry Bevington planned to leave him in at DH so he could go out the way he desired. "He wanted to go out with a hit," Bevington said. "He wanted to wait until he got a hit. He was geared up. He was playing that first at-bat like the seventh game of the World Series."

Kruk hobbled all the way to first base. He went into the dugout after the inning was over, said good-bye to his teammates, got in a car with his parents and headed home to West Virginia.