Andrew Heaney’s Place in Rangers History Secure After Announcing Retirement

Another member of the Texas Rangers 2023 World Series Championship team has decided to call it a career.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (44) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Andrew Heaney will be seen in the rear-view mirror of baseball history as a left-handed pitcher who finished his career with an under-.500 record and a 4.57 ERA.

To Texas Rangers fans, he’ll be the winner of Game 4 of the 2023 World Series.

Heaney, now 34 years old who played last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced his retirement on Sunday. It gave Rangers fans a chance to reflect on his career and his meaning with the Rangers.

Andrew Heaney’s Retirement

pic.twitter.com/4bLWCBhxYA

— Andrew Heaney (@Heandog8) December 28, 2025

Heaney posted the retirement message on his social media accounts, including X (formerly Twitter). The first part of the announcement featured Heaney on a plane, holding the World Series trophy he and the Rangers won in 2023 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He wrote that “playing Major League Baseball has been a unique honor and privilege.”

That his first photo in the announcement was with the World Series trophy, wearing a blue Rangers pullover, should say it all about his career. During the 2023 season he had the best season of his career, as he went 10-6 with a 4.15 ERA in 34 games, with 28 starts. Heaney moved in the bullpen after Texas acquired starters Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline.

He had his best moment in Game 4 of the World Series against the Diamondbacks. Texas turned to Heaney as the starter, even though he pitched in Game 2 and only had a couple of days’ rest. While the Rangers bats exploded early in the game, Heaney pitched some of his best baseball. He went five innings, allowing four hits, one earned run and two walks against three strikeouts. When he exited the game, the Rangers were up, 10-1, and never looked back.

Texas clinched the championship the next night in Game 5.

Heaney remained with Texas in 2024 and grinded through a season in which he was the only pitcher to take every turn in the rotation but went 5-14 with a 4.28 ERA. He was the definition of a hard-luck starter. But his place in franchise history was already etched.  

Heaney was a first-round pick of the Miami Marlins in the 2012 MLB draft out of Oklahoma State. He broke in with the Marlins in 2014, was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in 2015 and missed considerable time after Tommy John surgery in 2016.

He’s emerged as a journeyman starter with the Angels (2015-21), the New York Yankees (2021) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2022, 2025).  

Heaney will wrap up his career with a record of 56-72 with a 4.57 ERA, with 1,156 strikeouts and 339 walks.