Injured Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett mulling retirement
Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett, who is out for the season with a torn labrum, is mulling retirement, he said on Friday, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon.
"As far as the progress has gone with this thing, I think Donnie [Mattingly, the Dodgers' manager] said it yesterday: It's just not going to happen this year," Beckett said. "As far as the future goes, for next year, I think I'm going to have to think about that and talk to my wife a little bit more."
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Beckett, 34, will undergo surgery, which takes about four months of recovery. He had a procedure done this offseason to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome near his right shoulder, according to Saxon.
Beckett, a three-time All-Star, was also dealing with a left hip injury. He was 6-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 20 starts this season, including a no-hitter on May 25 in Philadelphia.
The 14-year veteran of the Marlins, Red Sox and Dodgers, was the World Series MVP for Florida in 2003 and won another World Series with the Red Sox in 2007.
"I think the decision would have been more difficult if health had not been an issue," Beckett said about possibly retiring, adding that he had to do four hours of work before starts this season to get his body ready. "The last three years have been just been one thing after another for me. When we do get to the offseason, the decision will be tough, but it still makes it a little easier.
"At some point, you decide, 'Is this really worth trying to get myself ready for another season when you know the stuff that goes into it?' It's not the pitching part that bothers you. I probably felt best on the days I pitched. It's the other days leading up to it. I'm not announcing anything right now. I don't know if the decision will be made before Christmas. It may be the day after the season, it may be January."
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- Chris Mascaro
