Former Yankees reliever Zack Britton retires
Former Yankees reliever pitcher Zack Britton announced his retirement after a 12-year MLB career on Monday. The left-hander last pitched in the big leagues in 2022.
Britton, known for a devastating hard sinker, spent the final four and a half years of his career in the Bronx after joining the Yanks in a mid-season trade from Baltimore in 2018. In his first season, he pitched to a 2.88 ERA over 25 innings in 25 outings. He would sign a three-year, $39 million deal with a club option for a fourth season that offseason.
After a stellar 2019 season – 1.91 ERA over 61.1 innings and 66 appearances out of the bullpen and a fine postseason – the lefty struggled with injuries and consistency. Elbow discomfort stole much of the start of his 2021 season before Tommy John ended it in late September. His return in 2022 would last just three games late in the season.
In announcing his retirement, he told The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli that he rushed back from surgery to try to help the Yanks in the playoffs in his ill-fated final season.
“My last outing was against the Orioles. I threw a ball to the backstop as my last pitch; I think about that and it sucks,” Britton told the publication. “It might not have been perfect from a career standpoint or going out on a high note, but you don’t always get to pick. My gut was telling me it was time to see what life was like on the other side.”
Britton would pitch just 38 innings over 45 games in his final three seasons.
He would tally 15 saves with the Yankees and pitched to a 2.75 ERA in 124.1 innings with a 2.95 ERA in 18.1 postseason innings.
The reliever called his time with the Yanks "special."
“Putting on that uniform and walking into the clubhouse, the history of it hits you,” Britton told The Athletic. “The whole experience of being a Yankee is impressive. You are playing for one of the most recognized sports teams in the world; the way they treat you, and the things you get — I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. I wish I had won a World Series there. I wish I hadn’t been injured as much as I had. That was special.”
When asked about how he would fix the Yankees, who missed the playoffs last season and haven't won a World Series title since 2009, Britton said they need to get the aura of intimidation back.
“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,’" he told Ghiroli. "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.
"It wasn’t ‘Oh, let’s just keep it in the ballpark.’ They could single you to death, steal a base, walk. I think they’ve got to find a way to get back to that.”
Britton retires with a 35-26 record and a career 3.13 ERA over 641.0 innings in 442 games (46 starts). After fizzling out as a starter early in his career with the Orioles, he became a two-time All-Star closer Baltimore and had three seasons with over 35 saves, including a league-leading 47 in 2016 when he pitched to a 0.54 ERA in 67.0 innings.
