Corey Kluber, one of the best pitchers in baseball during the 2010s, announced his retirement from baseball on Friday.
He left a lot of memories on each and every team he played for, but the Cleveland Guardians enjoyed him the longest.
He was their ace from 2014 until 2018: that’s five seasons of truly elite performance in which he won Cy Young awards in 2014 and 2017.
A graphic shows some of his greatest accomplishments during his time in Cleveland.
“One of the greatest pitchers in Cleveland history has announced his retirement. Congratulations to Corey Kluber on an incredible career!” Bally Sports Cleveland tweeted.
One of the greatest pitchers in Cleveland history has announced his retirement.
Congratulations to Corey Kluber on an incredible career! 👏 #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/sfsPuGQDrA
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) February 9, 2024
In nine seasons with the club, he achieved the third-highest strikeout total in franchise history with 1,461.
The vast majority of pitchers don’t even sniff that total, yet Kluber was able to do it with a single team and in nine years.
He also won the aforementioned two Cy Youngs and was a three-time All-Star.
It’s also important to note that Kluber was this close to becoming a World Series champion with Cleveland in 2016.
In fact, he was brilliant in that postseason run, with a pristine 1.83 ERA in 34.1 innings of work.
He was everything the Guardians hoped for in an ace, and then some.
It’s too bad his run of dominance started so late in his career, in 2014, when he was 27.
Otherwise, we could have been talking at a legit Hall of Famer.
Even if Kluber earning a place in Cooperstown is unlikely, nobody can say he had a bad career.
He was perhaps the American League’s most impressive pitcher from 2014 to 2018.
It may not have been that close, actually.
NEXT: Stat Reminds Fans Of Legendary Shane Bieber Record
