Shortly after the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated in the Major League Baseball Playoffs, Starting Pitcher, Josh Beckett has announced that he is retiring at the age of 34. Beckett last pitched on August 8th, and was placed back on the disabled list due to issues with his hip. He told MLB.Com that coming back from this injury at this stage of his life was not something that he could see himself doing. He will be having surgery on the torn labrum this May.
Beckett may be another in the long line of Baseball players whose career ended sooner than it should have, but he had a run that would be the envy of many competitors.
Debuting in 2001 with the Florida Marlins, Josh Beckett rose up the ranks and in 2003 he was the Opening Day Starter. It was a magical season for the Marlins, one in which saw them defeat the New York Yankees for the World Series and also had Beckett win the World Series MVP. Florida was good for Beckett, but Boston would prove to be better.
Now plying his trade with the Red Sox, Josh Beckett would go to three All Star Games and lead the American League in Wins in 2007. The same season he finished second in AL Cy Young voting. That was also the season he would win his second World Series Ring, and was also named the MVP of the ALCS. Amidst a bit of controversy where it was believed that he and a few other Red Sox players were not giving their all (remember the fired chicken and beer incident of 2011?) he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Beckett did not have the same success in Southern California, but he did throw a no-hitter this season in May.
Overall, Beckett retires with a record of 138 and 106, 1,901 Strikeouts, an Earned Run Average of 3.88 with a bWAR of 35.3. He also had a career post season of 7 and 3, a sub 1.000 WHIP in 93.2 Innings. Beckett’s numbers, while good, are not Cooperstown good, but based on the admissions of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, and what he accomplished at Fenway, we expect to see him receiving that induction in a few years.
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