St. Louis Cardinals

Matt Holliday homers in what may be his final at-bat with the St. Louis Cardinals

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:48 p.m. ET

Allyssa Lee

Outfielder Matt Holliday had a picture-perfect ending to what may be his final at-bat as a St. Louis Cardinal.

Earlier on Friday, the team activated Holliday, who had suffered from a broken thumb, from the 15-day disabled list before announcing that it won't pick up the 36-year-old's $17 million club option for the following year.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Holliday declined to comment about the decisions, saying it was "too emotional."

But those emotions came forth during Holliday's at-bat against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning on Friday night. The crowd at Busch Stadium rose to their feet to honor the seven-time All-Star in what very well have been his last walk to the plate in a Cardinals uniform. And then Holliday launched a pitch deep into right field for a solo home run:

Moments like this are why we watch baseball! #STLCards pic.twitter.com/yQe5n6qtb1
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) October 1, 2016

And then appeared to be fighting back tears as he made his way home:

Matt Holliday, with tears in his eyes, goes deep in what could have been his final at-bat with the #STLCards. If so, storybook ending. pic.twitter.com/CeVgywFhQ7
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) October 1, 2016

Holliday, who has been with the Cardinals since 2009, is hitting .244 with 20 home runs and 61 RBI this season.

But it's moments like this that will be remembered.