Brandon Webb Retirement: Former Cy Young Winner Retires At 33

Former Arizona Diamondbacks ace pitcher Brandon Webb has officially retired from Major League Baseball.

Webb, who has been sidelined with chronic shoulder issues and hasn’t pitched a game since 2009, made the announcement via a statement released Monday night.

“With retirement, Brandon looks forward to focusing on more time with his family,” the statement said. “He would like to thank all the countless coaches, players and friends for their support during his career.”

Over the course of his seven-year career with Arizona, Webb had a career record of 87-62 with a 3.27 ERA and 1,065 strikeouts in 199 games, all but one as a starter.

Webb’s best season came perhaps in 2006, when he won the National League Cy Young Award in 2006, posting a 16-8 record with a 3.10 ERA and 178 strikeouts.

Over the following two seasons, the 33-year-old right-hander posted a combined 40-17 record and finished second in the Cy Young voting.

Webb threw four innings with the Diamondbacks in 2009, leaving his first start of the season with a throbbing shoulder and missing the rest of the season.

After undergoing two surgeries and failing to see improvement during multiple comeback attempts (with the Diamondbacks in 2010, with the Texas Rangers in 2011), Webb decided he was out of options.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s a relief though, too,” Webb said, according to MLB.com. “I can stop worrying if I’ve done enough. I was putting in all this time and effort over the last three years and it turned out to be all for nothing.”

ESPN.com MLB senior writer Jerry Crasnick has more on Brandon Webb’s retirement in the video below: