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Former Yankees, Red Sox pitcher retires immediately at 33
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- Former Yankees, Red Sox pitcher retires immediately at 33
After six seasons in Major League Baseball, including one with the eventual American League champion New York Yankees , pitcher Nick Burdi retired.
The right-hander signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets in November 2025 and had appeared in five games with their Triple-A affiliate. Burdi allowed only one run across 4.1 innings with the Syracuse Mets but had not pitched since April 11.
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In 35 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2018-20), Chicago Cubs (2023), Yankees (2024) and Boston Red Sox (2025), Burdi went 3-2 with a 5.34 ERA.
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Burdi's final appearance on a major league mound was in June of last year with the Boston Red Sox, a scoreless inning of relief against the Angels. He was placed on the injured list the following day with a right foot contusion, which the Angels' Nolan Schanuel stepped on while running out a ground ball to the right side of the infield.
The Red Sox demoted Burdi to their Triple-A affiliate after he recovered from the injury, ending his only season in Boston after just four scoreless appearances.
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Burdi went 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 12 appearances for the Yankees in 2024. He struck out 12 batters in 9.2 innings, but also issued nine walks.
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Burdi missed all of 2021 and 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery, the second time he had the elbow ligament-replacement procedure. The Padres signed him in December 2020, but he never appeared in a game with one of their affiliates.
The Cubs snagged Burdi on a waiver claim prior to the 2023 season. After appearing in three games with Chicago in May of that year, he spent most of the season with the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate.
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Burdi overcame his first Tommy John surgery to debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018, and went 2-2 with a 9.49 ERA for them in 16 games from 2018-20. He retires with a 3-2 record, a 5.34 ERA, and a legacy of perseverance.
