Kirby Yates Retires
Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Kirby Yates announces his retirement after a 12-year MLB career.
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Pirates reliever Kirby Yates announced his retirement after Pittsburgh’s 4-3 loss to Detroit, saying he was ready for his next chapter. In his final appearance, the 39-year-old made the first start of his 12-year major-league career after 517 relief outings, pitching 1⅔ scoreless innings and striking out Dillon Dingler before leaving to a standing ovation. A two-time All-Star, Yates finished with 101 saves and a 3.35 ERA; he led the National League with 41 saves in 2019 and posted a 1.67 ERA across the 2018 and 2019 seasons with San Diego. Justin Verlander also made his final appearance before retiring, concluding a 22-year career that included three Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles.
Key Points
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Yates said, “I don't have anything left,” adding that he had “been running on fumes for a while” and felt it was time to retire.
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Over 518 major-league appearances, Yates recorded 672 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP; his 2019 season included a 1.19 ERA.
3
Yates and Justin Verlander became only the third pair of starting pitchers to make their final regular-season appearances in the same game after each had played at least 12 seasons; the previous instances were in 1916 and 1945.
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Yates began 2026 with the Angels and was traded to Pittsburgh in August; despite being left off the Dodgers’ postseason roster in 2025, he received a World Series championship ring with the team.
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