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Astros legend Ryan Pressly announces his retirement after 13 seasons
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- Astros legend Ryan Pressly announces his retirement after 13 seasons
Astros legend Ryan Pressly announces his retirement after 13 seasons appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Two-time All-Star and one of the most productive relievers in Houston Astros history, Ryan Pressly , officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Saturday, bringing an end to a 13-season career that spanned from 2013 through 2025.
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"After spending the last 19 years in professional baseball, I've made the decision to hang up my cleats and step away from the mound," the 37-year-old wrote in a statement . "It's bittersweet, but what a ride it's been."
Full statement from him, below:
Pressly finishes his career with a 3.33 ERA across 691 1/3 innings, appearing in 667 regular-season games. He stitched together 721 strikeouts, a 25.2% strikeout rate, a 7.2% walk rate, and generated ground balls at a 48.5% clip. Since the beginning of the 2013 season, only six pitchers made more appearances than Pressly, who took the mound 667 times out of the bullpen. Over that span, he banked 117 regular-season saves while pitching for the Minnesota Twins , Houston, and Chicago Cubs .
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Originally selected in the 11th round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox , Pressly never reached the majors with Boston. He was selected by Minnesota in the 2012 Rule 5 Draft despite never pitching above Double-A, then debuted in the majors in 2013. During his rookie season, he pieced together 76 2/3 innings over 49 appearances with a 3.87 ERA.
Pressly pitched parts of six seasons with the Twins before being traded to the Astros at the 2018 trade deadline. At the time, he was operating as Minnesota's primary setup man. His move to Houston was a turning point. With the Astros, Pressly recorded a 2.81 ERA over 342 appearances, struck out 11.1 batters per nine innings, and became one of the most reliable relievers in franchise history. His first All-Star nod came in 2019, after which he moved into the closer role the next season and earned another selection in 2021.
From 2020 through 2023, Pressly nailed down 102 saves, the fourth-most in MLB during that period, converting 102 of 118 opportunities with a 2.99 ERA. He ranks fourth on the Astros' all-time saves list and is one of only four pitchers in franchise history to surpass 100 saves.
Pressly's work under the October lights only made his legend stick. He pitched through 45 1/3 playoff innings with a 2.78 ERA and amassed 14 postseason saves. He went 22 2/3 innings over three postseasons without allowing an earned run, shutting the door every time. In the 2022 playoffs, Pressly did not allow an earned run in 11 appearances, finishing the World Series with a 0.00 ERA. He recorded the final out of Game 6 to clinch Houston's championship and also earned saves in Games 5 and 6. He additionally pitched the final inning of the Astros' combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the World Series and was part of another combined no-hitter earlier that season.
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Still effective on the mound, Pressly had to slide into a setup role once the Astros acquired Josh Hader before the 2024 season. He was later traded to Chicago after waiving his no-trade clause. In his final season this past season, Pressly pitched to a 4.35 ERA with 28 strikeouts, 17 walks, and five saves across 41 1/3 innings. The Cubs released him in August, and he did not sign with another club before calling it a career.
