Zack Britton is calling it a career.
The former Orioles and Yankees relief pitcher told The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli that he is retiring after 12 major league seasons. Britton spent parts of eight seasons in Baltimore and parts of five in New York.
“Thankful to have had the opportunity to live out my childhood dream these past 12 years,” Britton tweeted. “Looking forward to the next chapter.”
A starter at the beginning of his career, Britton became an All-Star closer with the Orioles. He saved 47 games without blowing one in 2016, which is also when he set the record for the lowest-single season ERA (0.54) by a pitcher with a minimum of 50 innings.
Midway through the 2018 season, the Yankees took a chance on trading for Britton following an offseason Achilles injury. The move worked out well, as Britton recorded a 2.88 ERA over 25 games for the Yankees that season. That led to a three-year deal with an option for the lefty, who chose to stay in the Bronx as a setup man when he could have closed elsewhere.
Britton was lights-out in 2019, recording a 1.91 ERA over 66 games. He had another sub-2.00 ERA in 2020, but the pandemic-shortened season and injuries limited Britton to just 45 games with the Yankees from 2020-2022.
Britton tried rushing back from Tommy John surgery so that he could help the Yankees in the playoffs at the end of the 2022 season, but his campaign – and career – ended with just three regular-season games that September. He exited his final game with arm fatigue and never pitched in the majors again despite receiving a few offers this past spring, according to Ghiroli.
In Ghiroli’s story, Britton also shared his thoughts regarding the Yankees, who failed to make the playoffs in 2023. He reflected on how the team “intimidated” opponents when he was a young Oriole, and how that wasn’t necessarily the case when he wore pinstripes.
“The way they carried themselves, you didn’t want to go to New York because they were so imposing and I feel like we lost a little of that when I was there,” Britton said. “How do you get back to that? For me, with the Yankees’ budget, they should get the best players. They have, to some extent, but really building powerhouses to make it a place people want to play. I remember hearing people say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go to New York,’ and it blew my mind.
“That was the most eye-opening thing, talking to opposing players and them saying, ‘It’s not the same coming in there; it’s not as intimidating as a place.’ When I was a young player, the pinnacle was to play for the Yankees because they were so good. I don’t know the one thing to get them back but those (older) teams used to beat you in so many ways. They were so well-rounded.”
Once a member of the MLBPA’s executive subcommittee, Britton didn’t rule out a future in baseball when talking to Ghiroli. For now, however, he plans on taking a break from the game and spending more time with his family.
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