A former Cleveland Guardians ace surprised the baseball world on Friday.
Corey Kluber, who won two Cy Young awards with the team, announced his retirement from baseball after a brilliant career.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic published Kluber’s statement after the huge news.
It’s a deep, heartfelt message by one of the classiest guys around.
Corey Kluber retirement statement. Fantastic career. pic.twitter.com/6g3zoXksWg
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 9, 2024
He thanked every one of the teams that he played for: the Guardians, the Texas Rangers, the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Boston Red Sox.
Over his excellent 13-year career, Kluber posted a 116-77 record and a 3.44 ERA.
He was one of the most important members of the highly successful mid-2010s Guardians, winning the Cy Young award in 2014 (2.44 ERA, 269 strikeouts) and 2017 (2.25 ERA, 265 Ks).
In nine seasons in Cleveland, Kluber posted a fantastic 3.16 ERA and struck out 1,461 hitters in 1,341.2 innings.
The Guardians were lucky enough to witness and experience Kluber’s prime years, from 2014 to 2018.
Over that span, the right-hander posted a 2.85 ERA and won 83 games.
No pitcher in the American League was as good and consistent as him.
Kluber also took some time to thank the “devoted” fans who dedicated time and resources to watch him pitch, as well as his wife and children.
He left the door open to starting a career as a coach of some sorts: “I look forward to passing on what I have learned to the next generation of MLB players,” he said.
It would be fitting to see the Guardians extend an opportunity to Kluber to start his hypothetical coaching career with the organization that lifted him to success.
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