World Series Champion Pitcher Retires From MLB After 16 Seasons

By Brian Jones

A longtime MLB relief pitcher is calling it a career. This week Andrew Miller, who previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals, announced that he is retiring from baseball, per CBS Sports. Miller, 36, was a free agent this offseason and made the retirement announcement by sending a text message to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Dispatch. 

"The list of people who took me aside, put their arm around me, made me laugh when I needed to, or taught me something is endless," Miller wrote to Goold in a text message. "It's safe to say I would have been faced with the next chapter much earlier on if it weren't for them. As someone who thought their career was practically over in 2010, to be able to experience everything I did along the way is incredible. You shouldn't ever hear complaints from me. It was a heck of a run."  

Miller began his MLB career in 2006 as a member of the Detroit Tigers. At the time, Miller was a starting pitcher but was not living up to expectations since he was drafted No. 6 overall in the 2006 MLB Draft. Before the start of the 2008 season, Miller was traded to the Florida Marlins and was there for three seasons. He was then traded to the Boston Red Sox before the 2011 season and suffered a season-ending injury midway through the 2013 season. However, Miller did earn a World Series ring as the Red Sox won the World Series in 2013.

Midway through the 2014 season, Miller was traded to the Baltimore Orioles and was there for the rest of the year. In 23 appearances with the Orioles, Miller finished 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA. He also helped the team win the AL East title for the first time in 17 years. In 2015, Miller joined the New Yankees and continued to thrive as a relief pitcher. He was named American League Relief Pitcher of the Year finished 10th place in Cy Young Award voting after he finished the season with a 2.04 ERA  with 36 saves and 100 strikeouts. 

During the 2016 season, Miller was traded to Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) and helped the team earn a trip to the World Series. He was named ALCS MVP after allowing no runs in nearly eight innings of work while also striking out 14 batters. Miller was selected to the All-Star game in 2016 and 2017 before joining the Cardinals in 2018, which is where he finished his career. Miller posted a 55-55 record with a 4.03 ERA, 63 saves and 979 strikeouts. 

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