Godspeed, Journeyman Pitchers, Wherever You Are

Ramon Ortiz was a journeyman pitcher, with a lifetime 87-86 record, a below average ERA, and a 5.7 lifetime Wins Above Replacement. He had one good season under his belt, his 2002 campaign with the Anaheim Angels, when he won 15 games, notched 162 strikeouts, had a 3.1 WAR, and a 3.77 ERA (which, during the steroid era, was still much better than average). He never made an All-Star game, bounced around in a bunch of minor league levels, pitched in Japan, and ultimately signed contracts with ten different MLB franchises.While even journeyman pitchers can rack up high lifetime salaries — Ortiz made more than $16 million during his career — it’s still painful to walk away from the game under anyone’s terms but your own. The same can be said about any profession, but when it happens in front of thousands of people, that’s heartbreak. This video shows Ortiz throwing what he immediately knows was the last pitch of his career; and to punctuate the fact that it’s still a boys’ game, he crouches down behind the mound and cries, which I would definitely do if that happened to me.

Godspeed, journeyman pitchers everywhere.