PHOENIX (AP) – Mark Grace, a career .303 hitter and one of the most likable players in baseball, will retire at the end of his 16th major league season.

“I’ve come to tell you guys you’ll no longer see me uglying up a clubhouse anymore as a player,” Grace said. “I’m going to take it on home.”

Grace won four Gold Gloves and played in three All-Star games. His 510 doubles are tied with Rickey Henderson for fourth among active players and 34th on the career list. Grace’s 2,443 hits rank sixth among active players, and he had more hits in the 1990s than any other major league player (1,754).

He came to Arizona as a free agent following 13 years with the Chicago Cubs, and was a key figure in the Diamondbacks’ 2001 World Series championship.

Through it all, he was known for his friendliness and quick wit, as evidenced by the way he opened Friday’s news conference.

“We’ve agreed to a two-year extension,” Grace joked. “We just want to announce that here. You guys didn’t tell them about that?”

During the previous homestand, Grace was seen sneaking beneath the seats behind the batting cage trying to light hitting coach Dwayne Murphy’s shoe on fire.

“I don’t think anybody loves the game more than Mark Grace, or respects it more, or got more out of a career,” Garagiola said. “He always remembered maybe the most important thing about this game and that is to have fun while you’re doing it.”

Grace was batting a career-low .189 going into the final three-game series against St. Louis.

Manager Bob Brenly said Grace would start Saturday’s game and make an appearance, probably as a pinch-hitter, in Sunday’s finale to allow the crowd to show its appreciation.

Grace expects to land a job with Arizona.

“Somehow, some way, I’m sure that we haven’t seen the last of me in this Diamondbacks’ organization,” he said.

A spot in the broadcast booth is his if he wants it, but Grace has indicated a desire to coach and someday manage.

“My gut feeling is, and I’ll say publicly, that I’m not sure he wants to take the uniform off,” Colangelo said. “We’ll have to determine whether that means being part of the organization in some capacity that still includes wearing a uniform, or to talk about the booth. I don’t know, but he knows there’s an opportunity here for him.”

Grace’s voice shook with emotion as he talked about his years in Arizona.

“I’ve got to be careful or I’ll do a Dick Vermeil here,” he said. “My teammates, I’ll never forget you guys, the ones who were there in 2001, and the ones that were there last year and this year. I don’t know how to thank you guys for allowing me to be your teammate and fellow soldier.”

As for his days as a Cub, he said, “Chicago, thank you for 13 fabulous years. If we’re not going to be in it this year, believe me, I’m pullin’ for you guys.”

Grace and his wife, Tanya, have a 3-year-old son and are expecting another child soon. He made his offseason home in nearby Paradise Valley long before he joined the Diamondbacks.

Grace’s biggest moment came in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, when his leadoff single in the ninth inning off Mariano Rivera ignited the two-run rally that gave Arizona a dramatic victory over the New York Yankees.

“We don’t win the World Series without him,” Garagiola said.

There was the home run into the upper deck at Yankee Stadium in Game 4, and of course, his hilarious one-inning stint as a relief pitcher last year in a 19-1 loss to the Dodgers.

“If I ever played with you, thank you. It was a thrill,” Grace said, “and if I ever played against you, thank you for the competition. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I’ll miss it.”

AP-ES-09-26-03 2041EDT