Former Yankees reliever Zack Britton is hanging up his cleats after an impressive 12-year career, according to The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli.
“Zack Britton is officially retiring from baseball after a 12-year big-league career, the 35-year-old pitcher told The Athletic in an exclusive interview earlier this month,” Ghiroli said.
“Britton was a two-time All-Star with three 30-save seasons under his belt, including an American League-leading season in 2016.
He spent seven and a half seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and the following four and a half with the New York Yankees. The left-handed finishes his career with 154 career saves, a 35-26 record, and a 3.13 ERA in 442 games (641 innings).
At one point, Britton arguably was the best reliever in baseball. He was almost unhittable with the Orioles and even finished fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2016 as he compiled a minuscule 0.54 ERA in 69 outings and led the American League with 47 saves.
Britton was drafted in the third round of the 2006 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft by the Orioles and eventually made his big league debut in 2011.
He eventually was traded to the Yankees during the 2018 season and remained with the club through the 2022 season.
He dealt with injuries toward the end of his career and appeared in just 25 total games with the Yankees in 2021 and 2022 combined.
He held workouts for prospective teams in free agency ahead of the 2023 season but never ended up signing with a club.
The 35-year-old finished his career with two All-Star nods, 154 saves, and a career 3.13 ERA across 442 appearances.
