Ryan Pressly, one of the most prolific postseason relievers of his era and a figurehead of the Houston Astros’ ascension into an American League superteam, announced his retirement from baseball Saturday after a 13-year major-league career.
“It’s bittersweet,” Pressly wrote in a statement to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, “but what a ride it’s been.”
Pressly collected 117 career saves, earned two All-Star appearances and closed for Team USA during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He procured the final out of the Astros’ 2022 World Series championship to finish the first Fall Classic won by a Texas team on Texas soil.
Fitting, then, that a Dallas native with the state of Texas tattooed on his back shoulder threw the final pitch.
“Hoisting that World Series trophy in 2022, that’s something I always dreamed of,” Pressly said. “I’ll carry that joy forever. Houston, you’ve got our hearts — it’s our forever home now. Thank you.”
Pressly did not allow an earned run during his 11 appearances across Houston’s World Series run — part of a 22 2/3-inning scoreless streak that spanned three postseasons and cemented his place among the October elite. Pressly’s 2.78 postseason ERA is the 11th lowest among all major-league relievers who have thrown at least 45 playoff innings.
Of the 10 relievers ahead of him, only Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera made all his playoff appearances for one team. Pressly did, too, parlaying the success as an Astro into a place within franchise lore. His stature also grew within Houston’s clubhouse, where Pressly morphed into a quiet leader who offered advice and counsel to any young pitchers in need of it.
Few shrewder moves occurred during Jeff Luhnow’s tenure as Houston’s general manager than his 2018 acquisition of Pressly, then a middling reliever without a defined role in the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen. The trade “felt like a homecoming” for Pressly, whose wife, Kat, is a Houstonian. The couple’s children, Wyatt and Hunter, were born while Pressly pitched for the Astros.
Intrigued by the elite spin rate on both of Pressly’s breaking balls, the Astros believed altering his pitch usage could unlock potential. Pressly responded with a superb seven-season stretch that will define his career.
He struck out 11.1 batters per nine and posted a 2.81 ERA across 342 appearances as an Astro. Pressly is one of four pitchers in franchise history to collect at least 100 saves, joining Brad Lidge, Dave Smith and Hall of Famer Billy Wagner.
The prominence once seemed unattainable for Pressly, whom the Boston Red Sox selected in the 11th round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Boston left him unprotected from the 2012 Rule 5 draft, in which the Twins selected him and allowed him to start anew.
Pressly’s full statement announcing his retirement is below:
After spending the last 19 years in professional baseball, I’ve made the decision to hang up my cleats and step away from the mound. It’s bittersweet, but what a ride it’s been.
Drafted at 18 years old out of a small Texas high school in 2007 by the Boston Red Sox — I was just a kid with a dream. The minor-league grind, the bus rides, bouncing from town to town, the stories and memories will last a lifetime. To Jim Robinson, and the Boston Red Sox, thank you.
20,346 is a number I will cherish forever. The Minnesota Twins allowed me to become just the 20,346th person to ever compete in a major-league uniform, something I will never take for granted. Thank you.
Being traded to the Houston Astros felt like a Homecoming. Hoisting that World Series trophy in 2022, that’s something I always dreamed of. I’ll carry that joy forever. Houston, you’ve got our hearts — it’s our forever home now. Thank you.
And to the Cubs for giving me a chance to pitch for such an iconic franchise. Wrigley Field, those North Side fans … unforgettable. Thank you.
None of this happens without my rock, Kat. From the minor-league grind to the bright lights of Houston, you’ve been my biggest fan, my voice of reason, and the one wiping away the sweat (and tears) after the toughest outings. Wyatt and Hunter, you two are my MVPs — watching y’all grow up from the dugout has been the real highlight reel. Sharing this journey with y’all, Priceless.
The friendships — from bullpen brothers to vets who mentored me along the way — those bonds last a lifetime. I’ll miss the banter in the ‘pen, the inside jokes that kept us loose on those high-leverage nights. But I’m fired up for this next chapter with my family, and chasing whatever adventure comes next.
Grateful beyond words,
#55
