'They need me home': Big Maple makes decision to retire after 2024 season
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BOSTON -- In an exclusive interview with WEEI¡¯s Rob Bradford on the ¡°Baseball Isn¡¯t Boring¡± podcast, Red Sox pitcher James Paxton announced that he would retire from playing professional baseball following the 2024 season.
The 35-year-old left-hander has been on the 60-day injured list since being transferred there on Aug. 23 due to a partially torn right calf sustained in an Aug. 11 start. He is not expected to return to the club before season¡¯s end.
"It's tough. Obviously, I think that I can still do it. I can still go out there and compete, and help a team win,¡± Paxton told Bradford. ¡°But I just think with where my family's at and what they need right now, they need me home. I feel the duty and the responsibility to be at home with my family and I'm looking forward to being at home with my family, and spending more time with them, too."
Paxton has pitched with four clubs over parts of 11 MLB seasons, compiling a 73-41 record and a 3.77 ERA in 177 starts, though he was often marred by injuries. In 2018, while with Seattle, the Canadian native threw a 99-pitch no-hitter against the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Paxton started the 2024 campaign with the Dodgers, making 18 starts before being traded to Boston, where he pitched in 2023.