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Baseball talk fired up Raúl Ibañez.

“I started walking around outside,” Ibañez said, laughing during a phone conversation last week from his home in Florida.

Ibañez, 47, retired after the 2014 season, ending a big-league career that spanned almost 20 years. Although Ibañez played only three of those seasons in Philadelphia (2009-11), they were among his most successful. He became a fan favorite and made his only All-Star team during his first year with the Phillies. In the end, Ibañez posted a .264/.329/.469 line with 70 home runs, 100 doubles, 233 runs scored, 260 RBIs and a 111 OPS+ in 433 games with Philadelphia while appearing in 27 postseason games, including the 2009 World Series.

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Ibañez caught up with The Athletic, chatting about his memorable time in Philadelphia, atypical career path, post-playing career opportunities and more.

It was only three years in Philadelphia, but those were some of the best offensive years of your career. When you look back on those seasons with the Phillies, what stands out the most?

First of all, when you said that, when I think back to it, a big smile came across my face. I remember the intensity of the fans. I remember the electricity of the fans. I’m getting goosebumps right now. I remember running onto the field in the postseason and the roar of that crowd. Every time, you felt it in your soul, you felt it internally, like all through your body. And you know, I remember the intensity. I remember the people. We actually lived there for three full years. We were living in Philadelphia. My kids were going to school there. I remember fond memories, great restaurants, great people. Really, really honest people. I think there’s a misconception (about the fans). Some of my best friends are still in Philadelphia, you know, best friends in the world. And I’ll tell you what I loved about the Philadelphia fan and the people of Philadelphia: honesty. That’s what I loved and appreciated more than anything. Honesty — you know where you stand; there’s no sugarcoating.

What I remember is that they loved and appreciated, not just winning, but how you won. Not just playing well, but how you played well. They cared about the how, not just the outcome … and if you played the game right, they appreciated it. If you busted your butt on every play, and they knew it — nobody got a free pass. But there was appreciation and respect. And so, I loved the values of the town. It’s a hard-working mindset, blue-collar mindset, an “I came here, I’m going to watch every out, I’m going to sit in the stands and watch every out, but you better play your ass off.” I loved that accountability, as a player and as a teammate and in the city. Like I said before, some of our best friends in the world live in Philadelphia, are Philadelphia natives, generations of Philadelphians, and we’re still great friends and best friends to this day.

You were in your age-37 through age-39 seasons with the Phillies. In the late 30s, you see a lot of guys’ production fall off offensively, but you were still pretty consistent and put up All-Star numbers. Why do you think you were able to play at an elite level and continue to be a great hitter at that stage of your career?

I always prided myself on being the hardest worker in the gym during the offseason and on working on my craft tirelessly. And I always believed that you could continue to be productive. And I was also blessed with a few things. One, I was blessed with … my first three years of major-league service, it took me five years to get three (years) of service because I was up and down. And I didn’t play. So the story I told myself was, I didn’t really get a lot of at bats those first three or four or five years in the big leagues. So my body is five years younger. And so, not only did I tell myself that story, but I always sought out the best professionals in strength and conditioning, nutrition. To be honest with you, I didn’t have my first slice of a gluten pizza — like a pizza that contains gluten, like cheese — I didn’t have a slice of pizza for eight years. I slept in a hyperbaric chamber a lot of the time, always spent time doing that. Take care of your body, your mind, your soul.

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And here’s another thing I was really fortunate and blessed by: Early in my career as a young player, I got to play with two national treasures: Edgar Martinez and Jamie Moyer. I watched both of these guys perform at the highest of levels in their mid-30s, and as a young player, it was impactful because I always asked them questions. I spent time around them. They mentored me, and they assured me that you can perform at a high level if you outwork everybody and you do it intelligently and in a disciplined fashion. I remember going back to being age-25, -26 in the major leagues and not playing, and I was a backup player walking towards the food room, and Edgar would be walking towards the weight room. I would literally turn around and go into the gym and watch what Edgar was doing and mimic it somehow. I didn’t know what I was doing at the time. But he had helped me create … I knew that if my idol and the best hitter on the planet was walking into the gym, that my young butt shouldn’t be walking into the food room. So I was so fortunate and blessed to be around disciplined guys that had already done it. They were doing it at an incredibly high level. Edgar and Jamie both assured me, at a young age, if you work right and you outwork everybody, you can play and perform at a high level, well into your 30s.

Do you think, because you were in the latter stages of your career with the Phillies, that you had a greater appreciation of being a part of those teams and having opportunities to win a World Series title?

Yes, and not only did I appreciate those teams more because of that, I was fortunate early on, like I said: I was around the Griffeys and Edgars and Randy (Johnson) and that whole group, and (Moyer). I was around those guys in the early years, but I didn’t get to play much (with Seattle). But I was a part of this winning culture, winning environment. I think I went like, nine years without going to the postseason after that. And so, the deep level of appreciation that you get when you taste something early, that you really didn’t know what the hell was going on, you’re just spoiled. And then not getting the opportunity for eight or nine years felt like an eternity. Not only was I appreciative of the environment, the team and obviously the winning, but I was so appreciative of the fans. I was appreciative of the accountability. I was appreciative of the intensity that they brought every day and the energy, where if it’s your first (postseason), you don’t know what you don’t know as a young player. Having gone through those experiences really helped me enjoy and appreciate Philadelphia.

You received a few MVP votes your last couple of seasons with the Mariners before coming to Philadelphia, but 2009 with the Phillies was your first All-Star honor. Did that give you any sort of career validation? How do you view something like that when you were 37 at the time, and did it mean anything more to you given your journey and lack of playing time early in your career?

I think there were a couple other times where I thought making the All-Star team would definitely be a possibility: 2006 maybe, I think I was sitting on like 20 homers; I think in ’13, when I went back to Seattle, I was sitting on like 23 or something like that at the break. So I thought that there was a possibility, but the reality was, I was so thankful and appreciative of getting to go in 2009 as a Philadelphia Phillie. I don’t think I needed the validation at that point, but I did appreciate it. I was very, very appreciative that I got to do it as a Phillie in your first year there with the defending World Series champions. I was so appreciative and thankful for that opportunity that obviously, it’s a memory I’ll never forget.

After spending almost 20 seasons in the big leagues, what was the adjustment like after 2014 when your playing career ended?

I swear to you, I’m so fortunate, so blessed, that I got to play as long as I did, that I wound up going home. I knew that 2014 was gonna be my last year no matter what. I actually thought that 2013 may have been my last year. But, then again, there were moments in 2012 where I thought it was my last year. There were moments in 2011 where I was like, “OK, this will be my last year.” (Laughs.) But I didn’t feel any sense of … there was no jarring moment. There was more of an incredibly deep, intense sense of gratitude and appreciation. I remember watching the first game I watched in 2015 sitting on my couch. And my immediate thought was, “That really happened. I really got to do that.” I get goosebumps now thinking about it. And there’s moments now, where we’re talking about it, and I’m like, “Oh yeah, I did get to do that.” You know what I mean? When you’re living the dream, it was such a dream, that stepping out of it, now I look back on it and I’m like, “Holy crap, that was like a dream.” That’s what it feels like.

You went from being a 36th-round pick (in 1992) to playing nearly two decades in the majors, that’s a pretty amazing career arc.

Yeah, that is an amazing career arc. And the crazy part, when I talk to young kids today about that is you almost have to be, now stepping outside of it, you almost have to have this — I don’t want to call it this — but it’s almost like a delusional self-belief that you’re like, I’m supposed to be doing this. This is what I was meant to do. And I fully expect, even though it’s unrealistic that you get a hit every time, but every time you make an out, you’re really pissed off about it. Even though, statistically speaking, you’re supposed to make a lot of outs. But it never feels good and never feels good to let your team down, and never feels good to not succeed and to fail, even though it’s a game of failure. The entire time, despite the 36th round, I remember getting to pro ball and they said, “Hey, I want you guys to look around.” And this was the anti-motivational speaker, one of the coaches. And he goes, “I want you guys to take a good look around. One, maybe two of you is going to play in the big leagues, and the rest of you are going home.” My immediate thought was, “OK, me and who else?” That was my first thought, and I literally looked around and was, like, me and who else? I’m like, “OK, that guy’s pretty good. This guy’s pretty good. Hey, you know what, he has a shot.” But I immediately thought that, and I think that was the actual gift I was given. It wasn’t physical, but it was the gift of resiliency and that type of mindset.

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You’ve stayed connected to baseball, as a commentator on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” and working in the Dodgers’ front office as a special assistant to general manager Andrew Friedman since 2016. How would you describe those experiences and have you learned anything about yourself in the process?

I’ve learned a lot about myself. And I’ve learned that what I thought was true and I believe to be true, but I’ve learned that I love learning more than anything else. I’ve been fortunate to have this innate curiosity that I want to learn about whatever it is that I’m doing, and try to get better at it and apply the same skills that they use on the baseball field to off the baseball field. But being around the Dodger environment, doing television was great, it was a blessing. I got to be around some great people, really enjoyed Fox, it was a really great experience, and ESPN was a good experience. But being a part of the Dodger organization, I’ve learned so much in the last four or five years just being around people that are not just world class at what they do professionally, but world-class human beings.

I’ve been so fortunate and blessed where everyone I’m around, I keep getting these tremendous opportunities to be a part of something greater than yourself, be a part of a team, and be committed towards one common goal. But at the same time, be around world-class people, human beings and world-class intelligence and world class at what they do, with their craft and wanting to be the best that they can be. So, I guess what I’ve learned about myself is that I love people, and I deeply care about people and I deeply enjoy being part of something greater than yourself.

Since you’ve retired, your name has been mentioned with big-league managerial openings and searches. Is that a job you want in the future, and if so, why do you think you would be good at it?

First of all, I’m honored and humbled anytime anyone calls me to come and interview for that vacancy. It’s an honor and a privilege to receive that phone call because it’s like somebody’s almost handing you part of the keys to the kingdom. Being part of the front office and watching how great Andrew does it and how great a job (Dave Roberts) does it, I know what that job entails, and so I’m honored every time somebody calls me for that opportunity. My ongoing commitment right now has been to my family and being the best dad and husband that I can be and then trying to help the Dodgers as much as I can and make an impact any way that I can in our organization. So, I think in the future, that’s something that I’m definitely interested in at some point. The time has not been right yet. But I think one day that day will come, and hopefully that opportunity is there.

I’d be really honored to be part of an environment and a collaborative effort where everyone works together towards one common goal. There’s an internal challenge and struggle that I have where you long for that moment, you long to be part of that 162-game grind with a group of men, everybody working together, not just the guys on the field, but the front office, ownership, fans. It’s this big ball of momentum that moves towards the finish line and trying to get a World Series championship that has still eluded me. We’ve gotten to the World Series twice with the Dodgers, and we fell short, but I think to be part of something greater than yourself, to be part of something that’s going to impact not just the lives of the players and families and front office and ownership, but for the fans, that generation of fans. I still remember watching the Braves and their dynasty in the ’90s, and watching the Yankees in the ’80s, and the Yankees again as an opposing player, but knowing the impact that that has on the youth and lifelong memories, understanding that, as a human being, any time that you can get an opportunity to be a part of something like that, I think that’s really exciting. I’d love to be a part of something like that one day. It’s just the time isn’t right yet.

(Top photo of Ibañez’s three-run home run in Game 1 of the 2009 NLCS: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images) 

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