Former New York Yankees pitcher and 2009 World Series champion Phil Hughes has officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball after 12 seasons.
Hughes, 34, debuted for the Bombers on April 26, 2007, after being drafted by the club 23rd overall in 2004, and he would go on to spend his first seven MLB seasons in pinstripes.
In 2009, Hughes served primarily as a reliever with 51 appearances (7 starts) and a 3.03 ERA for New York and was a member of the Yankees championship squad that brought home title No. 27 that October.
The California-born righty was named to his first and only All-Star Game in 2010 after going 11-2 with a 3.65 ERA in the first half of the regular season, finishing the year with a career-high 18 victories.
Hughes last pitched in the Majors in 2018 after being traded from the Twins to the Padres that season, and for his career, he owns an 88-79 lifetime record with a 4.52 ERA over 1,291 innings.
“Through many ups and downs over 12 years I look back and am incredibly proud of what I was able to accomplish,” Hughes posted on social media. “While injuries have forced this chapter of my life to come to a close, I’m very excited to pursue other passions.”
One such passion Hughes has already demonstrated is his love for sports card collecting with his successful YouTube channel, “Phil’s Pulls,” launched back in September 2019.
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