Angels reliever Scot Shields will leave Texas with a collector’s item

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If this is, indeed, the final series of Scot Shields’ career, the Angels reliever got a lovely parting gift from the Texas Rangers on Thursday: an autographed Nolan Ryan No. 34 Rangers jersey.

Shields, who said he is leaning toward retirement, has plenty of memorabilia from his 10 years in the game but only three signed jerseys, from Tom Glavine, Derek Jeter and now Ryan, the Hall of Fame pitcher and current Rangers team president.

“I kept my uniform on for quite a while after [Wednesday’s] game,” Shields, 35, said of the Angels final home game of the season. “That was step one. I guess after this series is step two.”

Step three will be a determination over the winter whether Shields, one of the game’s top setup men from 2004-2008, will try to pitch again. If he does, he knows it will not be for the Angels.

“The door is still open,” said Shields, who has been shut down because of a sore elbow. “If the right situation presents itself, I’ll look at it.”

--Mike DiGiovanna in Arlington, Texas