LOS ANGELES -- Jeff Kent rarely showed his emotions on the baseball field or in the clubhouse during his long and illustrious career.

But after leaving the game he played for 17 seasons, Kent couldn't hold back the tears at his retirement ceremony on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

Even Kent was a bit surprised about showing his softer side to the media for perhaps the first time in his career.

"I didn't expect to be so emotional right now, because I played the game with a business-like attitude," Kent said. "But I think it's just a testament that, deep down, I'm emotionally attached to the game."

And while Kent kept his emotions under wraps on the baseball diamond, his production spoke volumes.

Kent, 40, retired as the all-time leading home run hitter among second basemen with 351, which is 74 more than the next closest, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. He also retired with a .290 batting average, 1,515 RBIs, 560 doubles and a .500 slugging percentage.

Among his accolades, Kent was the 2000 National League MVP, a five-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger and scored 100 runs eight times, which also set the record for second basemen.

The ceremony opened with a video reel of his career set to Green Day's "Good Riddance." And before Kent spoke, Dodgers vice president of communications Josh Rawitch read congratulatory messages sent by three of his former teams: the Mets, Giants and Astros.

Kent was his usual honest self on Thursday as he talked frankly about his relationship with the media, his teammates and his family.

He acknowledged that he both used and was used by the media during his career but called his relationship with reporters "fun."

Kent said he wasn't bothered by the fact that some thought that he could be a bit stoic.

"I've learned to be that way, maybe even to a fault," Kent said. "But for all the great teams I played on, I think it was more of a help."

His wife, Dana, who was in attendance along with their four children, said Jeff put up that wall for competitive reasons, but that at home she was used to seeing the emotional side he showed at the press conference.

"He felt that when he let that guard down, he lost his edge," Dana said. "Jeff's always been the kind of guy who never cared about what people think. He just wanted do the right thing and play hard."

Kent also talked frankly about playing during what has become known as the steroid era, saying he was "completely embarrassed by it."

"I knew it was there, and I won't hide from it," he said. "But I'm not going to go out on a soapbox about it. You just adjust. And I made the adjustment without having to cheat the game or myself."

Kent also didn't shy away from talking about the public run-ins he had with former teammates Barry Bonds and Milton Bradley. But he said winning was more important to him than any spats he had with teammates.

"Those two guys were teammates of mine, and we won," Kent said. "And I had run-ins with other teammates. It doesn't matter, because we were all teammates. Those accomplishments I had with those guys mattered to me."

Kent appeared in the playoffs seven times in 17 seasons and advanced to the World Series with the Giants in 2002. In all, Kent played for the Blue Jays, Mets, Indians, Giants, Astros and Dodgers. He has a World Series ring from 1992 as a rookie with the Blue Jays, but was traded to the Mets earlier in the season and didn't play in the postseason.

As a result of Kent playing for so many teams, he mentioned that all four of his children -- Lauren, 12; Hunter, 11; Colton, 9; and Kaeden, 5 -- were born in different cities because he played in so many different cities.

Kent cited wanting to be closer to his family as one of the reasons why he decided to call it quits after 17 years. They make their home in Austin, Texas. He had a difficult time finding the words for thanking his family.

"This one is going to be the hardest one for me," Kent said before pausing nearly 20 seconds to collect himself. "My family doesn't know anything else but baseball. We've been born into it, and I thank them all for their sacrifices."

Kent, who was born in Bellflower, Calif., and played at Edison High School before walking on at Cal, lastly wanted to thank the Dodgers for allowing him to play for his hometown team.

"Having the Dodgers allowing me to play here in my hometown for the last four years where I grew up was special to me," Kent said. "To finish it here in L.A. and now walking away is a great end to cap what I've done."