Long-time Atlanta Braves manager and former baseman Bobby Cox said goodbye to his team and to baseball on Monday after the San Francisco Giants eliminated them 3-2 in Game 4 of the best-of-five NL Division Series at the Turner Field.

Cox, who is managing the Braves on an extended contract and had said last year that he is going to retire after that, left a 29-season legacy of one World Series (1995) title, a record 14 straight division championships and five NL championships for the Braves. His 2,504 wins in the regular season is the fourth highest in the league and his 158 regular season ejections was a record.

The 69-year-old Cox emerged from the dugout after the game as a farewell gesture to some 44,500 Braves fans chanting his name and clapping their hands. He also tipped his cap toward the Giants celebrating on the field.

In his final news conference as Atlanta manager, a teary Cox said he was proud of his team and will miss his players. He told reporters he has no plan yet after retirement.

Cox's baseball career spanned more than half a century starting as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta. However, he did not play in the MLB until the New York Yankees acquired him in 1967.

In 1978, Cox replaced Braves manager Dave Bristol before moving to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1982. He returned to Atlanta as general manager in 1986 and assumed the manager's role in 1990.