Red Sox 2018 World Series Champion Retires After 11 Seasons

A former Boston Red Sox All-Star and 2018 World Series champion is hanging up his cleats.

Aug 31, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes (32) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

A former Boston Red Sox fan favorite is hanging up his cleats and calling it a career.

Former Red Sox All-Star relief pitcher Matt Barnes took to Instagram to announce his retirement from Major League Baseball after 11 seasons.

"When I look back at my baseball career, there isn't a single thing I would change," Barnes wrote. "I was able to live out not only my dream, but the dream of so many kids who pick up a baseball hoping one day they'll hear their name called. For that, I'll be forever grateful.

"From being drafted by the Red Sox out of UConn in 2011, making my Major League debut in 2014, winning a World Series in Boston, earning an All-Star selection, and finishing my career with the Marlins and Nationals, baseball gave me more than I ever could have imagined."

Matt Barnes Is Hanging Up His Cleats

Sep 11, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes (32) throws a ninth inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

You can find his entire statement right here.

Barnes was great in Boston. He was selected in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft out of UConn and worked his way through the Red Sox's farm system all the way up to Boston. Barnes' big league debut came in 2014 and he was a key cog in Boston's bullpen for nine seasons. Over that stretch, he was a significant piece in the bullpen of arguably the best Red Sox team in franchise history in 2018. That year, Barnes recorded a 3.65 ERA in 62 appearances for the club.

In 2021, he earned an All-Star nod as a member of the Red Sox as well. Barnes was a homegrown talent who worked his way all the way up to the top.

After his exit from Boston, he appeared in 24 games as a member of the Miami Marlins in 2023 and 14 games with the Washington Nationals in 2024. While this is the case, his career is going to be remembered for what he was able to do in Boston.

Above all else, Barnes came alive when the lights were the brightest. The righty pitched in 12 playoff games throughout his big league career in Boston. He logged a 0.79 ERA over that stretch. In Boston's run to the 2018 World Series, he pitched in 10 games, including three World Series games, and had a 1.04 ERA. If he didn't do anything else throughout his career, this would be enough to be loved in Boston. A successful career, to say the least.