Pirates’ Kirby Yates Announces Retirement After 12-Year MLB Career

Pirates’ Kirby Yates Announces Retirement After 12-Year MLB Career originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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Kirby Yates is calling it a career.

The 39-year-old right-hander announced Saturday following the Pirates‘ 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers that the 2026 season will be his last.

Yates made the announcement after a memorable final outing at Comerica Park. After 517 appearances as a reliever to begin his major league career, Yates made his first career start Saturday and became the first Pirate in the Modern Era to make his first start after at least 517 relief appearances according to PittsburghBaseballNow.com.

He worked around two hits in a scoreless first inning before returning for the second. Yates retired Riley Greene on a groundout and struck out Dillon Dingler before Pirates manager Don Kelly removed him from the game.

TEARS IN MY EYES. 🥹 A special moment for Kirby in Detroit. 🖤💛 https://t.co/AyhdsWkWVc

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 26, 2026

As Yates left the mound, he received hugs from his teammates and Kelly before receiving a standing ovation from the Detroit crowd of 41,377. The fans were in attendance to watch Justin Verlander make the final start of his Hall of Fame career, but they also took a moment to recognize Yates as he closed the book on his own career.

“It took me a little while to kind of recognize it,” Yates said via PittsburghBaseballNow.com. “I caught a glimpse of their dugout clapping. I thought it was neat. I thought it was really cool that the fans did that. I kind of picked out my family in the crowd, and that’s kind of when it started settling in. And you get a little emotional in that.”

Yates said he had been thinking about retirement for some time.

“I don’t have anything left, let’s put it that way,” Yates said in a postgame interivew. “I’ve been running on fumes for a while and I think it’s just time. It’s felt like it’s been time for a little while now.”

The veteran pitcher finished his 12-year major league career with eight teams, a 32-29 record, a 3.35 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 101 saves across 518 appearances. He was selected to two All-Star Games, including in 2019 after leading the majors with 41 saves for the San Diego Padres.

Yates spent only a short time in Pittsburgh after the Pirates acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline, but he said the move ultimately gave him a renewed appreciation for the game.

Yates said he initially didn’t want to be traded but came to view the move to Pittsburgh as a “blessing in disguise.” He finished his Pirates tenure with a 1.80 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .255 batting average against in 15 appearances.

While retirement brings some sadness, Yates said he is comfortable with his decision.

“I think I’ve given this game everything I have, and in return, it’s given me more than I can ever thank it for or imagine,” Yates said. “This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was four years old.”

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