MLB great Rod Carew pulls off notable achievement at 78 years old

May 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Rod Carew attends an interleague MLB game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As he nears 80 years young, Rod Carew has pulled off one of his proudest achievements yet.

The retired Baseball Hall of Famer Carew appeared over the weekend at the Minnesota Twins’ Hall of Fame ceremony for the class of 2024 (Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek were the two newest members enshrined). During the festivities, Carew revealed that he had recently done something noteworthy — he just became a United States citizen at long last.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that Carew officially became a U.S. citizen on Aug. 2 after recently passing the 10-question citizenship test. He will next be sworn in at a later date.

“I love this country,” Carew was quoted as saying in the story. “It has given me everything and more. All the things that I’ve done, the projects I’ve taken on, it fills my heart … I’ve been thinking about this for the longest time. I kept telling my wife, ‘I think I’m going to do it.'”

Carew, now 78, is of Panamanian descent and was born on a train in the town of Gatun, a city that was in the Panama Canal Zone at the time. But despite living in the United States for over 60 years and even serving six years in the Marines as a combat engineer in the 1960s, Carew had never formally become a U.S. citizen … until now.

Hayes notes that Carew is now healthy after a number of medical issues in recent years ( including a 2016 heart transplant ) and would like to travel internationally again. You can read Hayes’ full story on Carew here .

The lefty-hitting Carew played for 19 total MLB seasons from 1967-1985, earning 18 All-Star selections, seven batting titles, and an AL MVP Award in 1977. Carew is a member of the Hall of Fame for both the Twins and the Los Angeles Angels (who were still known as the California Angels when Carew played for them). He was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame back in 1991 on the first ballot.

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