Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Andrew Heaney Celebrates 10 Years of Service Time

Andrew Heaney, playing for his fifth team in five years, will take the mound for a momentous occasion when the Pittsburgh Pirates face the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (45) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Regardless of what kind of day Andrew Heaney when he takes the mound at PNC Park, he already achieved a major career milestone on Thursday.

The 33-year-old left-hander has reached 10 years of MLB service time on Thursday, securing a fully-vested pension in the process. The Pittsburgh Pirates staged a celebration for Heaney in the clubhouse, featuring watermelons and cupcakes with logos of every team has played for.

Congrats to Andrew Heaney on 10 years of Major League Service Time! Quite a display here in the clubhouse to celebrate him!🎉

Heaney will be taking the mound today for the Bucs! pic.twitter.com/YpCOQ5mH80

— Hannah Mears (@mearshannah_) April 17, 2025

Less than 10% of big leaguers hang around for as long as Heaney, who was still a free agent when spring training got underway. The Pirates eventually inked the veteran southpaw to a one-year, $5.25 million contract, and he has made good on the deal by posting a 3.00 ERA, 0.889 WHIP and 0.4 WAR through his first three starts of 2025.

Heaney got his start when the Miami Marlins selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. He made his big league debut in 2014, only to get traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers a few months later. A few hours after he joined the Dodgers, Heaney was flipped to the Los Angeles Angels.

The lefty thrived as a rookie in 2015, but underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016. Heaney finally carved out a regular role atop the Angels' rotation in 2018 and held onto it until he was sent to the New York Yankees at the 2021 deadline.

When he finally hit free agency for the first time in November 2021, Heaney opted to go back to the Dodgers on a one-year deal. He then signed a two-year contract with the Texas Rangers, winning a World Series in 2023, before making his way to Pittsburgh.

For his career, Heaney is 51-63 with 1,088 strikeouts, a 4.43 ERA, 1.258 WHIP and 8.5 WAR. He has faced 4,399 batters over the course of 1,032.1 innings – figures that will continue to climb as he continues to deal with the Pirates.

First pitch between the Pirates and Washington Nationals on Thursday is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET. Heaney will be facing off against Trevor Williams, who the Marlins selected in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft.

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