Kirby Yates' unlikely Pirates finale gave veteran reliever the sendoff his career deserved

Kirby Yates had spent his entire major league career coming out of the bullpen, so when he jokingly pitched Pirates manager Don Kelly on making his first career start earlier this week, there was little reason to believe anything would come of it.

Then Kelly actually said yes.

With Pittsburgh already planning a bullpen game against the Detroit Tigers, Kelly handed the ball to Yates as the opener. What started as a veteran having a little fun with his manager became one of the most unusual and surprisingly meaningful moments of the Pirates' final weekend of the season — and, as it turned out, Yates' career.

Yates and Tigers starter Justin Verlander made MLB history by becoming the first pair of starting pitchers age 39 or older to make their final career appearances in the same regular-season game. They also became just the third pair of starters ever to make their final MLB appearances against one another after each playing at least 12 seasons. The other two instances came nearly a century ago.

Naturally, Verlander will receive most of the attention. He is one of the defining pitchers of his generation, a three-time American League Cy Young Award winner, the 2011 AL MVP and an almost certain first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Yates' résumé was never going to look like Verlander's, but that shouldn't diminish what Yates accomplished during a career that took a far different path.

Yates didn't even reach the majors until he was 27 years old, debuting in 2014. From there, he managed to carve out 12 MLB seasons while pitching for eight organizations, twice earning All-Star selections and leading the majors with 41 saves in 2019.

He finishes his career with a 32-29 record, a 3.35 ERA and 101 saves. For a pitcher who arrived in the majors relatively late and spent much of his career navigating the volatility that comes with relief pitching, that is no small accomplishment.

Kirby Yates' Pirates career was brief, but his final appearance became historic

There was something fitting about Yates' career ending this way. Relievers rarely get ceremonial exits. They usually don't know when their final appearance is coming. There isn't always a chance to walk off the mound knowing that hundreds of appearances, thousands of pitches and more than a decade in the majors have officially reached their conclusion.

Yates essentially created his own opportunity. He joked about starting. Kelly played along. And suddenly, after 517 career relief appearances, Yates got to take the mound from the beginning of a major league game for the first time.

It also gave the Pirates' otherwise largely meaningless bullpen game a bit of personality. Pittsburgh's season was already winding down, with its postseason hopes gone and attention quickly shifting toward 2027. There wasn't much at stake in the standings.

For Yates, though, there was something much bigger happening. His Pirates tenure may ultimately represent only a small footnote in a long career, but Pittsburgh ended up providing the stage for his final chapter — and an unexpectedly historic one at that.

Verlander leaves the game as one of the greatest pitchers baseball has ever seen. Yates leaves without the plaques and trophies that will eventually accompany Verlander's legacy, but with something few players ever get: more than a decade in the majors, two All-Star appearances, 101 saves and a career that lasted long enough for him to joke his way into one final first.

For a lifelong reliever, it was about as fitting a goodbye as he could have scripted.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow