Major League Baseball saw more than just the Chicago Cubs‘ season end on Wednesday night in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. It also signaled the end of pitcher Dan Haren‘s career, who announced his retirement early Thursday morning.
Here is how he told the baseball world:
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune caught a glimpse of Haren walking out of Wrigley Field for the last time:
The 35-year-old played in 13 professional seasons with eight different teams before he finally called it quits. Fans and peers alike took to Twitter to congratulate Haren on a successful career, including former Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Dee Gordon:
ESPN’s Matthew Berry also took a moment for Haren:
The three-time All-Star contemplated retiring last offseason when the Dodgers traded him to the Miami Marlins. According to Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com, it was because he wanted to be closer to his family who lives on the West Coast.
Instead, he made 21 starts for the Marlins before being dealt to the contending Cubs and going 4-2 down the stretch. He did not make an appearance in the postseason.
Haren compiled a 153-131 record during his time in the majors, including six seasons in which he recorded 14 wins or more. His best seasons came in the mid-2000s—he recorded 73 wins in five years—while he was a member of the Oakland Athletics and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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