Kirby Yates Retires Following First Career Start with Pirates

A Memorable Final Outing

Kirby Yates decided to end his baseball career on his own terms. The 39 year old reliever made his final major league appearance on Saturday in Detroit. It was the first start of his 12 year career. He threw 1 2/3 innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates before walking off the mound.

He shook hands with teammates and home plate umpire Laz Diaz on his way out. On the other side, Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander was also making his final appearance before retirement.

"This is it," Yates said after the game. "Just didn't really want to say anything publicly before, until the end. It was great. It was an awesome day. Really cool thing to kind of be a part of, especially what's going on on the other side. Seeing emotions on both sides was something you don't forget. It was a good day."

Historic Pairing and Career Totals

The game marked only the third time in history that both starting pitchers made their final regular season appearance in the same game after at least 12 seasons. Christy Mathewson and Mordecai Brown did it in 1916. Paul Derringer and Vern Kennedy did it in 1945.

Saturday was the 518th appearance of Yates' career, which began with the Tampa Bay Rays in June 2014. He finished his career with a 32-29 record and 101 saves. His top campaign came in 2019 with the San Diego Padres, when he led the majors with 41 saves and earned an All-Star selection.

Long Path to the Majors

Yates took an unusual path to major league success. Born in Hawaii, he went to high school there and was selected in the 26th round of the 2005 draft by the Boston Red Sox. He did not sign with Boston. He went undrafted out of Yavapai College in Arizona before signing with Tampa Bay four years later.

Over his 12 seasons, the right-hander played for eight different franchises. His stops included the Rays, Yankees, Angels, Padres, Braves, Rangers, Dodgers and Pirates. He made his second All-Star team in 2024 with Texas. He also received a World Series ring with the Dodgers last season, even though he was left off the postseason roster.

Stepping Away at the Right Time

Yates still performed well during his final season. He compiled a 3.19 ERA across 46 outings this year, earning three saves for the Los Angeles Angels before finishing the year in Pittsburgh.

Even with solid results, the veteran pitcher knew his time had come.

"I don't have anything left, let's put it that way," Yates said. "I've been running on fumes here for a while."