Josh Harrison Will Officially Retire With Pirates
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The Pittsburgh Pirates are set to honor one of their best position players in recent memory.
As officially announced by the Pirates, Josh Harrison will officially retire as a member of the club on August 7 and hold a press conference that day while also watching batting practice.
A day later on August 8, Pittsburgh will have a commemorative T-shirt giveaway for the first 20,000 fans at PNC Park honoring Harrison, and he will proceed to throw the first pitch following an on-field ceremony before the team takes on the New York Mets.
“Throughout his career, Josh Harrison embodied what it means to be a Pittsburgh Pirate: a gritty, hardworking player, a great teammate and a kind person who was always gracious with his time. He was and remains a cherished member of our organization,” owner Bob Nutting said, per MLB.com's Jason Mackey. “Josh is incredibly deserving of this celebration, and we look forward to honoring him alongside his family and friends in front of our fans at PNC Park.”
Harrison initially announced his retirement on May 31, 2025, though he'll now officially do so with the team that he spent a vast majority of his career with.
“I was never gonna say, ‘Let me retire a Pirate,’" Harrison said, per Mackey. "But it’s always cool when it happens naturally and organically. That’s how I wanted it to be.”
Looking Back at Harrison's Time with Pirates
A Chicago Cubs sixth-round pick in 2008 who was later traded to Pittsburgh in July 2009, Harrison made his big-league debut for the team in 2011.
He was a part of the Pirates' team that helped the club snap their 21-year playoff drought in 2013, and he later earned his first All-Star nod in 2014 by posting 5.6 bWAR with 13 home runs, 18 stolen bases and an .837 OPS.
Pittsburgh made the postseason for a third-straight year in 2015 while Harrison put up a .717 OPS and 1.6 bWAR.
In 2017, Harrison made the second All-Star team of his career with a .272/.339/.432 slash line, 12 stolen bases and 16 home runs.
He later signed with the Detroit Tigers ahead of the 2019 season after the Pirates declined his $10.5 million option.
Harrison played through the 2023 campaign, spending time with the Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies before hanging up his cleats.
In total, Harrison logged 14.1 bWAR, 52 home runs, 75 stolen bases and a .725 OPS in 842 games as a Pirate.
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Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.