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A former New York Yankees relief pitcher has decided to take that proverbial ride off into the sunset. Dellin Betances has officially retired from baseball, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman.
Betances previously tried to make a return to baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He signed a minor league contract with them back in April.
The stint in the Dodgers' farm system did not go anywhere near according to plan. The 34-year-old former Yankees star pitched to a putrid 10.26 ERA across two levels of minor league ball. Los Angeles released him on Wednesday.
This retirement marks the end of a 10-year major league career spanning two different ball clubs. Betances, a native of New York, never left his hometown during his major league career, splitting time with the Yankees and Mets.
Betances, an eighth-round pick of the Yankees in 2006, moved to the bullpen after experiencing control issues. He flourished, posting a 1.40 ERA in 90 innings pitched during his rookie 2014 campaign.
In the five seasons following, Betances emerged as one of the best relief aces in baseball. The former Yankees star pitched to a 2.22 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP during that span, while striking out 607 batters. Betances earned four All-Star selections during that span as well.
2019 proved to be his final year in the Bronx. He struggled through various injuries and made just one appearance in 2019. He signed with the Mets in the offseason.
Unfortunately, Betances never regained his dominant form for the Mets. He pitched to a combined 7.82 ERA in nearly 13 innings pitched in a Mets uniform. The former Yankees star walked more batters (13) than he struck out (12) during that time.
For a time, there were few more dominant out of the bullpen than Betances. While it may not have ended the way he envisioned, the four-time All-Star still had a very respectable career.
