Former Rockies Reliever Daniel Bard Retires from Major League Baseball

Former Colorado Rockies reliever Daniel Bard has reportedly closed the book on his inspiring MLB career.

Jul 26, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard (52) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Former Colorado Rockies reliever and fan favorite Daniel Bard has evidently called it a career, as Rockies beat writer Patrick Lyons reported on Friday evening that the right-hander has retired.

Bard's retirement was noted on his MLB.com page, as well. He was last in the Seattle organization.

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The now 40-year-old righty made headlines back in 2020 when he made a shocking comeback to the MLB level after a seven-year hiatus from the game.

Before that, he was a former first-round draft selection of the Boston Red Sox and was primarily a starter for them from 2009 until 2013, when he left the game after reportedly catching a case of the dreaded yips.

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Many figured that was the last anybody would see of the righty in professional baseball, but Bard never gave up on his dream of pitching in The Show.

He worked out whatever had been holding him back during his time with the Red Sox, and returned to the big leagues looking like an entirely different player.

Bard spent four productive seasons with Colorado upon making his miraculous return, and even posted a career-best year in 2022 as the team's primary closer.

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He and the Rockies parted ways at the end of 2023, and he had most recently been pitching with the Seattle Mariners Triple-A affiliate before making the abrupt decision to hang up the cleats.

Bard finished off his career with a 3.74 ERA across nine big league seasons and leaves the game as one of the most inspiring stories of grit and resiliency in recent memory.

His ability to return and pitch at the highest level in his mid-30s after spending seven years away from the sport is the kind of thing that is usually only found in cheesy Hollywood movie scripts.

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While somebody may decide to make a movie about Bard's unique journey some day, anybody that watched him pitch in Colorado knows that his story is far from fiction.

He defied all the odds and has now finally decided to end his career on his own terms, leaving behind a legacy to be proud of.

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