13-Year Veteran Jake Diekman Announces Retirement From MLB
May 24, 2025
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Veteran left-handed pitcher Jake Diekman, who played for nine Major League Baseball teams across his 13-year career, has announced his retirement.
He made the announcement Friday in a social media post with the caption, “it’s been a blast.”
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“The time has come for me to retire as a Major League Baseball player. Thank you, God, for this life and being able to live out my wildest dream,” the four-page statement began. “From being in kindergarten and writing down that I wanted to be a baseball player when I grow up, to not even having a high school baseball team and just playing legion in the summer. ‘Making it’ to the big leagues seemed like such a pipe dream.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: Jake Diekman #30 of the New York Mets in action against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on July 12, 2024 in the Queens borough of New York… NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 12: Jake Diekman #30 of the New York Mets in action against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on July 12, 2024 in the Queens borough of New York City.
Luke Hales/Getty Images
Diekman was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 30th round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He made his debut five years later in 2012, and was with Philadelphia until the 2015 trade deadline, when he was shipped to the Texas Rangers.
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“Thank you to the Phillies for taking a shot on a 30th round guy out of small-town Nebraska that looked like Skeletor. Making my big league debut with the most veteran team imaginable at that point was surreal. I’ll never forget being a part of the 2014 no-hitter,” the statement continued.
“To the Texas Rangers, you went above and beyond for my personal health. A year of unknowns for me health-wise, was made easier because of your unwavering support and push to even go through with surgery in the first place.
“Those years also gave me a taste of my first postseason experience, and I’ll never forget it.”
In 2018, Diekman was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ahead of the 2019 season, he signed with the Kansas City Royals, who traded him midseason to the Oakland Athletics.
From 2022-24, Diekman suited up for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets.
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“To the Diamondbacks, Royals, Athletics, Red Sox, White Sox, Rays and Mets, it was an honor to wear each and every uniform. The goal was always to try and win, not just for the front office and organization, but also for your city. To the Lincoln Saltdogs, thanks for letting me finish living my dream out at home.”
Diekman appeared in 705 career regular season games at the MLB level, sporting a 3.91 ERA with 764 strikeouts over 602.1 innings pitched. He was a part of a combined no hitter with the Phillies on Sept. 1, 2014.
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