Almost everyone feels the need to retire at some point in their lives, usually after feeling that they have put in enough time and want to wrap up their career.
Athletes typically retire after their worst period of their professional careers; this is not the case for the average person. Instead, their retirement is highly publicized.
As of Monday, Zack Britton, the former closer for the Baltimore Orioles, has formally decided to hang up his cleats.
In an exclusive interview, he talked about his decision to pursue a career with Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic.
His decision to retire from baseball was largely influenced by his thoughts in 2022, following his hasty recovery from Tommy John surgery as a one of the Yankees’ members. Before going back on the injured list and never playing in another Major League Baseball game, he made three appearances.
“I played the Orioles last time out. My final pitch was a ball to the backstop, and when I think about it, it stinks. You may not always get to make the final decision, but it might not have been ideal from a career or farewell note standpoint. “My instinct told me it was time to experience life on the other side,” Britton remarked.
He was an Orioles third-round selection in 2006, and in 2015 and 2016, he was selected to the All-Star team twice. He had three seasons in a row with 30 or more saves, including an Britton will go down as one of Baltimore’s most dominant relievers of all time, having had a fantastic career there.