Former Astros World Series Reliever Announces Retirement

A long-time MLB reliever, Joe Smith, bid adieu to the game after 15 seasons, four of which were with the Astros.

A former reliever for the Houston Astros who helped them reach the 2019 World Series retired on Wednesday.

Joe Smith announced his retirement in a statement released by his representative at Excel Sports Management, bringing to an end his 15-year career. He last pitched for Minnesota in 2022 and did not pitch in 2023.

Smith, a right-hander who threw with a release point between a sidearm and a submarine, was an in-demand reliever throughout most of his career due to his low ERA and consistent performances from season to season. It’s what kept him in the league for 15 seasons, in spite of playing for eight different teams.

Smith joined the Astros in 2018 after he signed a two-year deal worth $15 million. He had a solid 2018, as he went 5-1 with a 3.74 ERA in 56 appearances. He struck out 46 and walked 12 in 45.2 innings.

During an offseason workout he ruptured his left Achilles tendon. That delayed his return to the Astros in 2019. When he did come back, he went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA, the latter a career-best. He threw 25 innings in 28 games while he struck out 22 and walked five.

He made the entire postseason run for the Astros in 2019 as they franchise sought its second World Series title in three seasons. In 2016, Smith won a ring with the Chicago Cubs despite missing the final weeks of the season with an injury and not pitching in the postseason.

He made 10 postseason appearances in 2019, but the Astros fell to the Washington Nationals in the World Series.

Smith re-signed with the Astros on a two-year deal in 2019 but sat out the first year of the deal due to the COVID-19 pandemic and surrendered his salary. He returned in 2021, but he had a 7.48 ERA in 27 games and the Astros traded him to Seattle, where he bounced back with a 2.00 ERA and a 3-3 record.

Smith broke in with the New York Mets in 2007 and also played for the Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays.

In 866 career appearances he went 55-34 with a 3.14 ERA. He recorded a sub-3.00 ERA in six seasons, including four straight from 2011-14.

He had 30 saves, threw 762.1 innings, struck out 666 and walked 254.