Pitcher Who Began Season With Angels Announces Immediate Retirement at 39

The 39-year-old pitcher announced his first MLB start was also his last

Umpire Laz Diaz (63) congratulates Kirby Yates (54) on his last game during the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Sept. 26, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kirby Yates had not made a public announcement about his plans beyond this season leading up to a surprise announcement Saturday: after 518 career appearances as a reliever, the 39-year-old right-hander was starting for the first time. Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly chose Yates to be his "opener" in a bullpen game Saturday against the Detroit Tigers.

The first start of Yates' 12-year MLB career was also his last.

A pitcher who started the season in the Angels' bullpen, and was dealt to the Pirates at the trade deadline, told reporters in Detroit that he's pitched his final game in MLB.

“This is it,” Yates said (via Alex Stumpf on Twitter/X).

The reporters apparently were the last to know. When Kelly took the ball from Yates with two outs in the first inning, Pirates catcher Henry Davis immediately gave him the game ball. Yates hugged his teammates on the mound. Even umpire Laz Diaz extended his hand as Yates walked off the field for the final time.

TEARS IN MY EYES. 🥹

A special moment for Kirby in Detroit. 🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/AyhdsWkWVc

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 26, 2026

Yates began the season on the injured list with inflammation in his left knee. He was 0-5 with a 3.95 ERA and only three saves in 31 games when the Angels traded him to the Pirates on Aug. 3.

In Pittsburgh, Yates was sidelined by a shoulder injury for nearly a month until this week.

Yates, whose eldest child is 8, told MLB.com earlier this month that he was considering retiring after the season.

"They want Dad home as much as they possibly can," he told Aiden Stepansky. "So, I think we're getting to a point where we've had conversations before; it kind of hits you different when they tell you they'd rather have you home. So as a father, when you hear that it kind of gets you pretty good in the heart."

In 46 games for the Angels and Pirates this season, Yates went 2-5 with a 3.19 ERA and three saves. He retires with a 32-29 record, 3.35 ERA and 101 saves. He made two All-Star games in his career and wore the uniform of eight teams: the Angels, Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, and New York Yankees.

A fun footnote: the 39-year-old Yates and the 43-year-old Justin Verlander (who was also making his final start) made for the oldest combination of starting pitchers in an MLB game since June 2012, when the Dodgers' Chris Capuano faced the Colorado Rockies' Jamie Moyer.