Freddy Garcia reportedly will call it a career after 15 major-league seasons
After 15 major-league seasons, veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia will retire after Sunday’s Caribbean Series final, according to MLB.com.
Ending his career much like it started -- by starting in the final game for Venezuela against Mexico -- Garcia last pitched in the majors in 2013 for the Atlanta Braves. He spent the past two seasons pitching in Taiwan, Venezuela and Mexico, along with a brief stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A team in 2015.
"Venezuelan fans are expecting something good from Freddy and so is everybody," Venezuela manager Eddie Perez, the bullpen coach for the Atlanta Braves, told MLB.com. "Knowing that it's his last game is going to make it very special. We all hope he pitches a really good game so he can retire in a good way and bring the title for Venezuela. Everybody who is rooting for Venezuela expects him to do well."
Garcia was first signed by the Houston Astros in 1993 at age 17 to an amateur contract, and he was later a part of trade with the Seattle Mariners that brought Randy Johnson to the Astros in 1998. In Seattle, Garcia made his major-league debut in 1999. That season, he went 17-8 with a 4.07 ERA and 170 strikeouts (in 201 1/3 innings), finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Garcia is known for his durability on the mound, surpassing 200 innings in seven of his 15 seasons. He was a two-time All Star with Seattle, and is perhaps best known for helping the Chicago White Sox complete the four-game sweep of the Astros in the 2005 World Series.
While Garcia has had his share of big moments in his MLB career, including a 3.26 ERA in 11 postseason starts, he now is focused on helping his Venezuelan national team take home the Caribbean Series championship, and finish his baseball career with a win.
"Freddy is our guy. To me, he's the right guy at the right time," Perez said. "Freddy has pitched in situations bigger that this, better and in worse."
