Former Cy Young Award Winner Kluber Retires

After 13 seasons in the majors, Corey Kluber is hanging up his cleats.

The two-time AL Cy Young winner went on his social media platform on Friday afternoon to deliver the news. He took time to thank all the people who have helped him along the way on his journey in an extended comment, however, when he wrapped up his note, he did not close the door completely on staying around the game of baseball in another role.

“As I take my leave from the pitcher’s mound, my passion for baseball remains unwavering,” Kluber said in his statement. “I eagerly anticipate exploring opportunities to continue contributing to the sport in a different capacity. … For all of those that will be part of my next chapter in baseball, I look forward to passing on what I have learned to the next generation of MLB players.”

Kluber was terrific at helping the younger pitchers in Cleveland, whether it was his intension or not. His nine-year tenure with the franchise began in 2011 and ended after the 2019 campaign, when he was dealt to the Texas Rangers. In that period of time, Kluber became the only two-time Cy Young Award winner in Cleveland’s history, taking home the hardware in both 2014 and ’17, respectively. He was selected to the Summer Classic in three consecutive years, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and his 1,461 strikeouts and 27.7 percent strikeout rate rank second in franchise history among right handers with at least 100 appearances.

Throughout Kluber’s time in Cleveland, young, inexperienced pitchers eagerly waited for their opportunity to meet Cleveland’s ace to pick his brain and learn as much as they could from his success.

“I don’t think it was really something that I ever set out to do,” Kluber said in 2021. “It was just kind of the way that I went about my business the way that I knew how, and it was kind of just a byproduct of that. But I guess, yeah, it’s cool to hear it after the fact. Like I said, it was never a goal of mine or anything that I was focused on while I was playing here.”

After he departed from Cleveland, Kluber was ravaged by the injury bug. He joined the Rangers but pitched just one inning for his new club before tearing his right teres major muscle. With that, his already-shortened pandemic season became much mor condensed. Kluber, at 35-years-of-age, signed with the Yankees in 2021 and achieved perhaps his greatest career milestone, throwing the 12th no-hitter in franchise history on May 19 against the Rangers.

Kluber took advantage of a fully healthy season in 2022, pitching to a solid 4.34 ERA in 31 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays, but with the Boston Red Sox in ’23, right shoulder inflammation put him back on the 60-day IL. His body was failing him but at the same time letting him know it may be time to walk away from the mound and move into the next chapter of his life and career.

Now, Kluber is in a position to share his lessons learned and help those breaking into the Majors follow in his footsteps. He knows what it is like to lead the Majors in ERA, like he did in 2017 with a filthy 2.25 mark. He knows what it is like to receive down-ballot MVP votes as a pitcher. He knows what it is like to battle through injuries. He knows what it is like to place in the top three for the Cy Young Award four times in five years. He knows what it is like to throw a no-hitter. He also knows what it is like to be the new kid on the block after being traded or signed as a free agent.

Kluber could excel as a coach by simply passing on his own learnings and knowledge. He had experience doing it just a few years ago for a young Shane Bieber, who came up to the Majors in 2018 and learned the ropes from Kluber until the veteran’s reign in Northeast Ohio was over the following year. And soon, Kluber hopes to add many more names to the list of those who have benefited from his teachings.

“I was very fortunate coming up in 2018 with the entire staff here,” Bieber said in ‘21. “I was kind of like a fly on the wall for any conversation I could be there for, trying to pick up as much as I could. But Klubes, specifically, kind of the standard model for where you want to go and what you want to be as a starting pitcher.”