MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Glen Perkins has confirmed his expected retirement, ending a 12-year major league career with 120 saves.
Perkins announced Wednesday on Twitter that he’s done playing. He says he’ll turn his focus to spending time with his family and will continue cultivating his hobbies including brewing beer, smoking meat and woodworking. “Or the same things I have been doing,” Perkins writes, “just without the baseball part.”
Drafted in the first round in 2004 out of the University of Minnesota, Perkins became a three-time All-Star closer (2013-15) for his home-state team before injuries hit him hard. He had surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder in 2016 and appeared in only 10 games over the last two seasons. The 34-year-old finished with a 3.88 ERA in 624 1/3 career innings.
Photo credit – Jim Mone / Associated Press / Minneapolis, MN