Jake McGee, a veteran MLB reliever of 13 seasons, has retired from the game of baseball. McGee began his career with the Tampa Bay Rays and won a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It's with the Rays that McGee wants to end his career. The 36-year-old did an interview with the Tampa Bay Times explaining why the Rays organization means so much to him.
“They were the first team to give me an opportunity,” McGee said. “I was in the organization for 11 years. I know it was (only) six years in the big leagues, but I learned so much.”
“All the teams were really good when I was there. We were competing for the playoffs every year. And then we lived in Tampa, it was kind of our (fulltime) home for a while. So just being with the organization for all that time,” the former Rays reliever added.
McGee began his professional career as a starting pitcher in the minors. After becoming a reliever in the big leagues, the 36-year-old pitched to a career 3.71 ERA and 613 strikeouts in 650 appearances.
Those numbers aren't world-beating on their own. However, they become more impressive when coupled with the fact that he threw one pitch the majority of the time.
McGee threw 9585 pitches over the 13 seasons of his career. 90% of those pitches were four-seam fastballs. At one point in his career, the former Rays reliever threw 206 fastballs in a row.
The 36-year-old could have continued his career. He pitched for six teams and had opportunities to do it again. However, it was simply time to call it a day.
“I’d rather be at home with my family. I played 13 years. I won a World Series in ‘20. It’s about time to stop,” McGee told the Tampa Bay Times.
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