Former MLBer Rafael Palmeiro played in his first game for the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association on Thursday.  It was the team’s first spring training game.  The 53 year old Palmeiro went 1-2 with a strikeout and a single.  

The goal for Palmeiro is much bigger than playing for an Independent League team, he has his eye on a return to the MLB.  Here’s what he had to say about his return to baseball, via AP:

“I’m doing it because I love the game first of all,” Palmeiro said Thursday. “And because I want to get back to proving to myself that I can do this and maybe for some of those people that think that I cheated, they might think again and say well, wait a minute, he’s 53 years old, he’s playing at this level, he’s playing in the big leagues, he’s producing. Maybe some of those will say, OK, he did it legitimately.”

If he makes it back to the Major League level at the age of 53 then he’s definitely back on the juice.  It would prove the exact opposite of what he’s attempting to prove.  There’s a reason there aren’t players in their 50s in the MLB.