Kyle Gibson, who pitched 13 seasons in the majors for five teams and was an All-Star in 2021, announced his retirement Thursday on the “Serving It Up” podcast.
Gibson was the Minnesota Twins’ first-round pick in 2009 after starring at the University of Missouri, but his road to the big leagues was delayed by Tommy John surgery as a Triple-A prospect in 2011.
He debuted for the Twins two years later, at age 25, and spent seven seasons in Minnesota. Relying heavily on his sinker to induce grounders and limit homers, Gibson had a 67-68 record and 4.52 ERA for the Twins while gaining a reputation as a durable innings-eater and well-respected clubhouse presence.
After leaving the Twins in 2019 as a free agent, Gibson went on to pitch for the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals and Orioles again, finishing his career with a 112-111 record and 4.60 ERA in 1,878 innings while earning over $70 million.
Gibson struggled mightily in four starts for the Orioles this season, going 0-3 with a 16.78 ERA. Released from a one-year, $5.25 million contract in mid-May, he signed a minor-league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays but was unable to get back to the majors at age 37.
Max Scherzer is the only MLB pitcher to make more starts (329) than Gibson (328) since 2013, and Gibson also logged the seventh-most innings among all pitchers during that time.
(Photo of Kyle Gibson pitching in Game 1 of the 2019 ALDS: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)