DETROIT - Announcing your retirement and ending your playing career is never easy for any player, but Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Kirby Yates did it in the best way he could.
Yates ended his career after his first MLB start in the 4-3 defeat to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Sept. 26, announcing his retirement postgame.
It was an incredible moment for Yates, who came off the mound after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings, earning support from his teammates, his family in the crowd and a curtain call as he left the mound for the final time.
Yates may not have spent much time with the Pirates, but his finale was just as special as if it were a long-term veteran, showing the importance of ending your career when you know it's best.
It was a long road to this moment for Yates, who was a 26th-round draft selection by the Boston Red Sox in 2005 out of Yavapai Junior College in Arizona , and didn't make his MLB debut until 2014.
Yates made 517 appearances before his first MLB start, the longest streak of any Pirates pitcher in the Modern Era (Since 1901), coming across 12 MLB seasons and at 39.
Sep 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates opening pitcher Kirby Yates (54) throws during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He played for eight MLB teams, earned two All-Star nods in 2019 and 2024, and led the National League with 43 saves in 2019, pitching for the San Diego Padres .
Yates could've quietly retired this offseason with little fanfare, but he asked Pirates manager Don Kelly about starting this bullpen game, and he got it.
He didn't confirm he was retiring before this game, in both an interview with Pittsburgh Pirates On SI on Sept. 24 and in a media scrum when Kelly announced he was starting after the series opener on Sept. 25, but it was quite obvious this was it for Yates.
"Yeah, I don't have anything left," Yates said postgame. "Let's put it that way. I've been running on fumes for a while and I think it's just time, and it's felt like it's been time for a little while now. And I think I've given this game everything I have, and in return, it's given me more than I can ever thank it for or imagine.
"This is what I've wanted to do since I was four years old, and I've got the chance to do it for however long I've been playing. I'm 39 years old, and it's been everything you want and more. It's been an amazing life. It's given me a lot, and you know I'm just ready, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter."
Yates wasn't the only one who showed how to retire properly, as Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander called it quits himself in this game.
Verlander is a lock for the Hall of Fame in five years when he's eligible: a three-time American League Cy Young Award winner, AL MVP and Triple Crown in 2011, 10-time All-Star, 2006 AL Rookie of the Year and threw three no-hitters.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander hugs his teammates after pitching his last inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
He returned to the Tigers in 2026, where he pitched for 12 seasons, 2005-16, and ended his 22nd season with the team where he grew up and developed into one of the best pitchers ever.
Yates benefitted from this, as Tigers fans sold out Comerica Park (41,377 announced attendance), and received that curtain call from the opposing fans when he walked off the field.
Had Yates done this more quietly, he never would've gotten that moment and the recognition he deserves for his MLB career.
"It took mea little while to kind of recognize it, and really, good fans, a lot of respect for that team and those guys over there, especially Verlander and the whole thing that was going on," Yates said.
"I caught a glimpse of their dugout kind of clapping and stuff. I thought it was neat. I thought it was really cool that the fans kind of did that. I kind of picked out my family in the crowd, and that's kind of when it started settling in. And you get a little emotional in that."
It was a short time with the Pirates, but for Yates, it couldn't have been a better final ball club to play for.
He only spent two months with the Pirates, joining at the Aug. 3 trade deadline from the Los Angeles Angels .
Aug 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kirby Yates (54) delivers during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yates wasn't successful in leading the Pirates back to the postseason , but he did his part , posting a 1.80 ERA over 15 appearances and 15 innings pitched.
The Pirates haven't always recognized their best players near the end of their careers.
Yates retiring as a Pirate allowed him to end his career with a team that fought in every game and showed him why he has spent most of his life playing baseball.
"Truthfully I never wanted to get traded, but the trade was like a blessing in disguise, just because when I got here, it gave me a little more life in baseball," Yates said. "I was kind of ready to be done prior to the trade deadline and it just kind of jolted something in me in competing for something again and going out there and trying to win.
"It brought the joy back in baseball for me. It made me excited to come to the field again and kind of gave me the feelings, the reason why we do this and why I love playing this for so long.
"This season's obviously, these last two months or whatever you want to call it, is going to have a little special place for me just because it gave me that life and that appreciation of why we do this and made me happy again to play baseball."
It's not easy for any baseball player to know when it's over, but having the ability to choose your ending and finish when you think it's right is not something any player should take for granted.
Many players retire quietly or do so after exhausting every option, which is reminiscent of Andrew McCutchen and his second stint with the Pirates.
Sep 3, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) circles the bases on a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
McCutchen spent three seasons in his second and final stint with the Pirates from 2023-25, but never announced his retirement, looking to keep playing despite declining production.
The Pirates moved on from McCutchen this offseason, resulting in a disappointing end for the team and its franchise legend.
McCutchen could've had a sold-out crowd at PNC Park last season had he chosen to end his career, which would've come with a ceremony and a great celebration of all his accomplishments.
It instead resulted in a poor 2026 season, 36 games with the Texas Rangers , and then spending July in the Atlanta Braves ' minor league system at the same age as Yates.
Yates has the storybook ending, while McCutchen won't have that moment, and he, the Pirates and his loving fans are worse off for it.
There is much more to life than baseball, which is something that Yates is excited to try out and see where it takes him.
"I don't, but I'm excited for it," Yates said on his future. "Hopefully, I've got couple member guests golf tournaments lined up with some friends that I've said no to for years and years and years. There's a lot of things I get a chance to say yes to and I'm very excited for it.
"The whole thing is great because I'm at peace with this. A lot of it, I think I made peace with it last year. I didn't know if I was going to play this year after last year and I think that's taken a lot of the emotion out of it. I'm still sad, don't get me wrong, I'm not upset by any means. I'm completely at peace with this."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi as Pirates' Kirby Yates Shows How a Retirement is Done .
