Alex Wooden, the left-handed pitcher who performed a big position in ending the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 29-year pennant drought, introduced his retirement on Friday (August 8). The 34-year-old shared his choice via a heartfelt Instagram put up, ending a exceptional 12-year profession in Main League Baseball (MLB).
Alex Wooden’s MLB journey
Alex Wooden’s profession started with the Atlanta Braves in 2013, only a yr after being drafted out of the College of Georgia. Recognized for his distinctive left-handed supply, Wooden showcased his expertise early.
His rookie season noticed him make 31 appearances, together with 11 begins, laying the inspiration for a profession that spanned 5 groups together with the Braves (2013-15), Dodgers (2015-18, 2020), Cincinnati Reds (2019), San Francisco Giants (2021-23), and Oakland A’s (2024).
Alex Wooden’s stats
Alex Wooden retires with a profession document of 77 wins and 68 losses, boasting a stable 3.78 ERA and 1,173 strikeouts. His skill to adapt to totally different roles and groups made him a worthwhile asset, nevertheless it was his standout 2017 season with the Dodgers that marked his legacy.
All-Star season and World collection heroics
In 2017, Wooden delivered the perfect efficiency of his profession, incomes All-Star honors with a formidable 16-3 document and a 2.72 ERA. His dominance was notably evident within the postseason, the place he began Sport 4 of the World Sequence in opposition to the Houston Astros.
Wooden pitched 7.2 innings, permitting only one run in a masterful efficiency, although the Dodgers finally fell in a controversial seven-game collection later tainted by the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Wooden’s contributions to the Dodgers prolonged past 2017. After being traded to the Reds in 2018, he returned to Los Angeles in 2020, simply in time to assist safe the workforce’s first World Sequence title since 1988.
Within the postseason, he allowed just one run throughout 6.2 innings, proving his clutch efficiency beneath stress.
A resurgent 2021 and ultimate seasons
Alex Wooden skilled a profession resurgence with the San Francisco Giants in 2021, posting a 10-4 document with a 3.83 ERA and 152 strikeouts through the workforce’s exceptional 107-55 season.
Nevertheless, his ultimate three years had been affected by inconsistency and harm. In 2022, his document slipped to 8-12 with a 5.10 ERA, adopted by a 5-5 mark and a 4.33 ERA in 2023. His 2024 season with the Oakland A’s was minimize brief by a rotator cuff harm after simply 9 begins.
A heartfelt farewell to Baseball
In his Instagram put up, Wooden expressed deep gratitude for the sport that outlined a lot of his life.
“Baseball was my old flame. Exterior of God and my household, nothing else has formed me the way in which this sport has,” he wrote.
He additionally thanked his teammates, coaches, and employees, emphasizing his need to be remembered as a supportive teammate. “If my teammates bear in mind one factor about me, I hope it’s that,” Wooden shared.
“Even penning this, I can’t assist however smile fascinated by how a lot I nonetheless love the sport in any case this time,” he concluded.
