Ross likens DWTS run to World Series: My parade has come to an end

Almost seven months ago, David Ross was part of a history-making Chicago Cubs team that broke a 108-year World Series drought. Shortly after, he stepped away from the game after 15 seasons.

The 40-year-old former big-league catcher has since remained busy, most recently completing a successful run on 'Dancing with the Stars,' falling just short of winning the mirrorball trophy to fellow athlete and football player Rashad Jennings.

"I feel like my World Series parade has come to an end. I'm completely exhausted," Ross told USA TODAY Sport's Bob Nightengale. "It was such an unbelievable ride being on 'Dancing with the Stars,' I still can’t get over it.

"Being the first major-league player to be on the show was such a huge honor. I wanted to represent baseball well. And I wanted to make sure I didn’t let anybody down."

Ross, who teamed with 23-year-old professional dancer Lindsay Arnold for the competition, credits his experience in some of baseball's toughest games for getting him so far in the show.

"It’s very similar to a playoff run. The schedule was nuts. It’s like a whole season in itself," he told Nightengale. "You're so emotionally focused on the moment, just like you are every pitch in the playoffs. The nerves are kicking like it’s a playoff or World Series game."

The ABC program may have produced some unintended side effects for Ross, though, as he revealed some viewers have been hilariously oblivious to his baseball career and accolades.

"It’s been so strange," he said. "It’s almost like people forgot or don’t even care I played baseball. I go the grocery store, and I hear people say, 'Hey, there's that Dancing with the Stars guy.' I'm like, 'Wait a minute, I won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.'"