DiSarcina decides he’s had enough

After 32 years in professional baseball, Gary DiSarcina is ready to enjoy a summer on Cape Cod.

The 56-year-old Billerica native isn’t closing the door on future opportunities in the game, but he considers himself retired and is ready to be a full-time husband, son, father, and grandfather.

“I missed so much over the years. It’s time to do something else,” DiSarcina said. “I’m very comfortable with the decision.”

His family and friends threw DiSarcina a party two weeks ago in Sandwich to celebrate. John Farrell, a former teammate with the Angels, was among the guests, as was former Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick.

In 2017, DiSarcina was Farrell’s bench coach with the Red Sox. He managed the team to a victory against Toronto on July 1 when Farrell was given a day off to watch his son, Luke, make his major league debut with the Twins.

“That was one of the highlights for me, managing the Sox to a victory,” DiSarcina said. “As a kid who grew up in Billerica, I would have never imagined that.”

DiSarcina was drafted out of UMass in 1988 by the Angels, made his debut in 1989, and went on to play 12 seasons with the organization. He was an AllStar in 1995 and finished his career with 1,086 games, tied for 10th in franchise history.

DiSarcina then embarked on a 17year career as a coach with the Red Sox, Angels, Mets, and Nationals.

“I wanted to be a high school history teacher and coach the baseball team,” he said. “I didn’t have a goal to be a major league player.”

DiSarcina has plenty on his plate. His son, JR, is set to play for the New England Knockouts in the independent Frontier League.

The team plays in Brockton, an hour from DiSarcina’s home in Barnstable.

Daughter Carlee has a 2-year-old daughter and another baby on the way.

“I haven’t seen my son play in person since he was in Little League,” DiSarcina said. “I’m looking forward to that and being a grandfather and helping out there. Maybe I’ll help out coaching my son’s team. That would be something fun.”

DiSarcina also is an amateur beekeeper. Farrell, who became a lobsterman after leaving baseball, advised DiSarcina to stay busy and continue learning about new things.

“Being able to be around my family was an easy trade-off for me,” DiSarcina said. “There was no doubt in my mind that it was time to enjoy some life. It’s a big commitment to be on a major league staff, a lot of work. I still love the game, but it was time to walk away.”

Extra bases

The Yankees are giving away George Costanza bobbleheads on July 5. The Red Sox are in town that night and should be mandated by the commissioner to have righthanded reliever Jason Alexander on the roster. Alexander was signed as a free agent last month and is in major league camp . . . Mets closer Edwin Diaz tore the patellar tendon of his right knee while celebrating a victory in the World Baseball Classic last March 16 and missed the season. He pitched his first game in spring training on Monday and struck out the side on 14 pitches. He hit 98 m.p.h. with his fastball and induced seven swings-and-misses. Diaz then returned home for the birth of a child but should be ready for Opening Day. Diaz had 32 saves and a 1.31 earned run average in 2022 . . . The Worcester Red Sox promoted Brooke Cooper to general manager. A Rhode Island native who helped lead Woonsocket High to two state titles in basketball and two in soccer, Cooper has been with the franchise since 2015 when she was an intern. Unlike the majors, GM is essentially a business position in the minor leagues and Cooper will run the team for Diamond Baseball Holdings. Former WooSox GM Dan Rea is moving to an expanded role with the parent company and will utilize his real estate experience in developing the neighborhood around the ballpark . . . There are plenty of good reasons to attend a game at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. It’s a great ballpark for starters and they sell real Philly cheesesteaks. If you arrive early enough, you could see 78year-old Phillies legend Larry Bowa

throwing batting practice. Bowa has been affiliated with the team since 1965, when he signed out of junior college. He played 12 seasons for the Phillies, managed them for four seasons, and had two stints as a coach . . . The Red Sox released righthander Nate Tellier, who played at Attleboro High and UMass Dartmouth, this past week. He was quickly signed by the independent Kansas City Monarchs . . . The collective bargaining agreement allows a team to terminate the contract of a player whose salary is decided by an arbitration panel. The Giants used the loophole to pay off infielder J.D. Davis

with $1.11 million rather than his full $6.55 million. San Francisco made the move after signing Matt Chapman to play third base . . . Red Sox first baseman Pablo Reyes was called for obstruction late in the game against the Cardinals on Tuesday. It led to Alex Cora huddling with the umpires to make sure he understood why the call was made. The league has told umpires to be more diligent about fielders blocking runners from the bag or moving up to take a throw and getting in the way of the runner. Umpires could be making the call more often in the final weeks of spring training to make it clear . . . One more on the umpires: ESPN will debut an “Ump Cam” this season . . . The ALS Awareness Game between Virginia and BC will be at 7 p.m. on April 25 at Fenway Park. The game, played in memory of former BC captain Pete Frates, benefits the Frates Family Foundation. Go to redsox.com/alsgame for tickets . . . City Winery Boston will host “Josh Kantor’s

7th Inning Stretch: Opening Day Edition” on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Fenway Park organist will host a night of live music with guests Vance Gilbert, Kelly Hogan, former Red Sox pitcher

Lenny DiNardo, and Fenway announcer

Henry Mahegan. Go to citywinery.com/ boston for tickets . . . Happy birthday to

Bill Mueller, who is 53. He had the best season of his 11-year career with the Red Sox in 2003, winning the AL batting title with a .326 average and hitting 19 homers. He followed that by posting an .811 OPS for the 2004 team. Mueller retired after the 2006 season and returned to the game quickly as special assistant, coach, and scout with the Dodgers for seven seasons. Stints with the Cubs, Cardinals, and Nationals followed. He is now assistant hitting coach of the Marlins.