Left-handed reliever Jake Diekman is retiring after a 13-year MLB career in which he made 705 appearances for nine teams.
“The time has come for me to retire as a Major League Baseball player,” Diekman said Friday “Thank you, God, for this life and being able to live out my wildest dream.”
The 38-year-old Diekman hadn’t pitched in the majors this year and went 2-3 with a 5.63 ERA in 43 relief appearances for the New York Mets last season. The Atlanta Braves released him in spring training.
He posted a 27-34 record, 19 saves and a 3.91 ERA during a career that included stops with the Philadelphia Phillies (2012-15), Texas Rangers (2015-18), Arizona Diamondbacks (2018), Kansas City Royals (2019), Oakland Athletics (2019-21), Boston Red Sox (2022), Chicago White Sox (2022-23), Tampa Bay Rays (2023) and Mets (2024).
During his time with the Phillies, Diekman teamed with Cole Hamels, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon on a in a 7-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 1, 2014. Diekman pitched the seventh inning of that game.
Diekman went 1-5 with one save and a 4.15 ERA in 14 career postseason appearances.
In his retirement announcement, Diekman thanked his former teammates, coaches, trainers and staffers. He also thanked each of the organizations for which he played. He also credited the schools he played for before beginning his pro career.
“From being in kindergarten and writing down that I wanted to be a baseball player when I grow up, to not even having a high school baseball team and just playing Legion in the summer, ‘making it’ to the big leagues seemed like such a pipe dream,” Diekman said. “From American Legion to Doane College to Cloud County Community College, I could not have asked for better spots to be. Those were some of the best times on the field. Those early years in high school and college is where you learn what it actually takes to be your best, grind out a game and learn to fail.”
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