Josh Beckett will retire after a great career. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Josh Beckett, one of the best big-game pitchers of his generation, is retiring after 14 seasons.
After the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs Tuesday, the right-hander told MLB.com that his ailing hip is prompting him to call it a career.
Beckett, 34, threw a no-hitter in May, but he landed on the disabled list in August due to a left hip impingement, and he did not return to action. He told MLB.com that he will undergo surgery next May to repair a torn hip labrum.
“I just don’t see me going through that (three-month) rehab and coming back to pitch at this point in my life,” he told the website.
Beckett was the World Series Most Valuable Player for the Florida Marlins as they beat the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series. He was the MVP of the 2007 American League Championship Series, when the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, and he helped pitch Boston to a World Series title that year.
In 14 career postseason appearances (13 starts), Beckett went 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA and three shutouts.
Beckett finished 6-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 20 starts this year, including his May 25 no-hitter in Philadelphia. He walked three Phillies and struck out six.
Over his career in the regular season, Beckett went 138-106 with a 3.88 ERA in 335 games (332 starts).
The three-time All-Star was acquired by the Dodgers from the Red Sox in an eight-player deal that also sent first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and left fielder Carl Crawford to Los Angeles.
