Two-time All-Star relief pitcher Britton retires

Published

1 year ago

November 20, 2023

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Nov 20, 2023, 11:31 AM ET

Reliever Zack Britton, a two-time All-Star in 12 major league seasons, told The Athletic in a story published Monday that he is retiring from baseball.

Britton, who told The Athletic of his plans in an interview conducted earlier this month, said he is retiring in order to spend more time with his wife and their four children.

Britton, 35, last pitched in 2022 with the New York Yankees when he attempted to come back early from Tommy John surgery in order to help New York in the playoffs but instead landed back on the injured list after three appearances. His last outing for the Yankees was against the Baltimore Orioles, the only other team he played for in his career.

“My last outing was against the Orioles. I threw a ball to the backstop as my last pitch; I think about that and it sucks,” Britton told The Athletic. “It might not have been perfect from a career standpoint or going out on a high note, but you don’t always get to pick. My gut was telling me it was time to see what life was like on the other side.”

The left-hander was an All-Star in back-to-back seasons with the Orioles in 2015 and ’16. He led the American League with saves in 2016 with 47 and saved 154 games in his career. He finishes with a 35-26 record and a 3.13 ERA.

He spent the first 7½ seasons with the Orioles and the final 4½ with the Yankees. He gave credit to the Orioles organization for helping him to mature as a player. He also said playing for the Yankees was “special.”

“Putting on that uniform and walking into the clubhouse, the history of it hits you,” Britton told The Athletic. “The whole experience of being a Yankee is impressive. You are playing for one of the most recognized sports teams in the world; the way they treat you, and the things you get — I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. I wish I had won a World Series there. I wish I hadn’t been injured as much as I had. That was special.”

Britton had a 3.13 ERA in the postseason and appeared in the AL Championship Series twice — with the Orioles in 2014 and with the Yankees in 2019.

Britton told The Athletic he worked out for several teams this past spring and, even though he had a few offers, he decided not to pitch in 2023. He said his agent, Scott Boras, told him, ‘You will never regret spending more times with your kids.’

“And that really hit home. Coming from him, I was like, ‘Wow, OK, maybe the things I’m feeling are good things. I’ve done everything I wanted to do in the game, other than win a World Series. I played a lot longer than I thought. A lot of it is luck, let’s be honest. There’s a lot of talented guys who don’t get to play for 12 years. So I’m very grateful for that. It was the journey, honestly, that was special. I was never great at being good at two things and now it’s time to be all-in on my family.”

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Source: Belichick, UNC won’t be on Hard Knocks

Published

4 hours ago

March 4, 2025

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Source: Belichick, UNC won't be on Hard Knocks

Andrea AdelsonMar 4, 2025, 05:25 PM ET
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- ACC reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
- Graduate of the University of Florida.

North Carolina and new coach Bill Belichick will not be the subject of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason,” a source confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

Front Office Sports reported last week that North Carolina would be featured on this year’s show, which would have given viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how Belichick would manage his first offseason as a college head coach.

When asked about it on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Tar Heels general manager Michael Lombardi said that nothing had been signed with the university but that the program was receiving “a lot of offers from people all over to come in and look at our program.”

But, as CBS Sports first reported earlier Tuesday, a deal could not be reached.

UNC hired Belichick in December after he had spent his entire career in the NFL, where he won six Super Bowls as coach of the New England Patriots. The Patriots never were selected to appear on “Hard Knocks.”

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2025

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

Ryan S. Clark
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Ryan S. Clark

ESPN NHL reporter
Greg Wyshynski
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Greg Wyshynski

Senior NHL writer

Mar 4, 2025, 02:55 PM ET

The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.

For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.

Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.

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Reports: Brewers add depth with lefty Quintana

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2025

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Reports: Brewers add depth with lefty Quintana

Associated Press

Mar 4, 2025, 08:32 AM ET

Veteran left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana is joining the Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year, $4.25 million deal with $1 million in potential bonuses, according to multiple reports.

Quintana, 36, is coming off a 2024 season in which he went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in 31 starts for the New York Mets. He struck out 135 and walked 63 in 170⅓ innings. Over his past six regular-season starts, Quintana gave up four runs — three earned — in 36 1/3 innings.

He started the deciding game of New York’s NL Wild Card Series matchup with the Brewers and pitched six shutout innings in the Mets’ 4-2 victory, though he received no decision. Quintana had a total of three postseason starts, allowing six runs — five earned — over 14 1/3 innings.

Quintana now will compete for a spot in a Brewers rotation that returns right-handers Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers and Aaron Civale. The two-time defending NL Central champions also added left-hander Nestor Cortes in a trade that sent two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams to the New York Yankees.

The Brewers could use some rotation depth as two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff and Robert Gasser come back from injuries. Woodruff missed all of 2024 while recovering from shoulder surgery, and he won’t be ready for the start of the season. Gasser, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, isn’t expected to be available until late in the season.

Milwaukee got more bad news Monday night when left-hander Aaron Ashby, a candidate for a rotation spot, left his start against the Cincinnati Reds with an injury. Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Ashby appeared to have an oblique issue and would undergo an MRI.

When he makes his Brewers debut, Quintana will have pitched for every team in the NL Central. He was with the Chicago Cubs from 2017-20 and split the 2022 season between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.

Quintana owns a 102-103 record and 3.74 ERA in 359 career appearances, including 333 starts. He’s also had stints with the Chicago White Sox (2012-17), Los Angeles Angels (2021), San Francisco Giants (2021) and Mets (2023-24). He was selected to the All-Star Game in 2016.