Kirby Yates Retires From Baseball After Making His First Career Start

A unique end to a long career

Kirby Yates has decided to retire after 12 seasons in the major leagues. The 39 year old pitcher made his very first career start on Saturday for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched 1 2/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers before shaking hands with his teammates and plate umpire Laz Diaz.

His final game was also the final game for Detroit Tigers right hander Justin Verlander, who retired too. This was only the third time in baseball history that both starting pitchers made their final regular season appearance in the same game after playing at least 12 seasons. The last time this happened was in 1945.

Yates said after the game that he did not want to say anything publicly before the end. He called it an awesome day and said seeing the emotions on both sides was something he would not forget.

From undrafted player to All-Star

Yates had a remarkable career after going undrafted out of junior college. He was originally selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 26th round of the 2005 draft out of high school in Hawaii, but he did not sign. He eventually signed with Tampa Bay in 2009 after playing at Yavapai College in Arizona.

Over his 12 year career, Yates played for eight different teams. He pitched for the Rays, Yankees, Angels, Padres, Braves, Rangers, Dodgers, and Pirates. He made 518 appearances after debuting in June 2014.

He was selected as an All-Star twice, first with San Diego in 2019 and then with Texas in 2024. In 2019, he led the majors with 41 saves. He finishes his career with 32 wins and 29 losses, along with 101 saves. Even though he was left off the postseason roster for the Dodgers last year, he still received a World Series championship ring.

Despite compiling a 3.19 ERA in 46 games this year, Yates knew it was time to step away. He said that he has been running on fumes for a while and does not have anything left.