Jon Heyman reports that Dellin Betances, the creator of one of the era’s greatest curveballs and then a 4-time All-Star as a lockdown reliever for the Yankees, has retired from baseball. Betances, 34, played the 2022 season in the Dodgers’ minor league system. Before that, he had an 11-year Major League Baseball career.
Betances, a native of New York City, was recruited in the sixth round by the Yankees in 2006 out of Grand Street Campus High School in Brooklyn. Betances started his professional career as a starting pitcher, yet injuries and inefficiency forced him into a relief role for which he was ideally suited. He made limited major league outings in 2011 & 2013 before establishing himself as a strong rookie in 2014. Betances made his first of four consecutive All-Star appearances in that season. From 2014 to 2018, he has a 2.22 ERA (188 ERA+) with 607 strikeouts in 373 ⅓ innings across 349 bullpen appearances. In 2018, Betances became the 1st reliever in Major League Baseball history to record 100 or more strikeouts in five consecutive seasons.
Betances inked a free-agent contract with the New York Mets following a 2019 year marred by injuries. Betances wasn’t ever able to maintain his health or reach his optimum performance with the Mets, as he was plagued by shoulder and Achilles ailments, and then by more shoulder issues. Betances had a 7.82 ERA during two seasons in Queens and was only able to pitch 12 ⅔ innings.
According to Baseball-Reference figures, Betances earned somewhat more than $30 million over his career in the major leagues.
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