Former Pirates Pitcher Óliver Pérez Retires

On August 26th of 2003, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded outfielder Brian Giles for Jason Bay, Oliver Perez, and a PTBNL that turned out to be Corey Stewart. Jason Bay has long retired from baseball, and Corey Stewart made it to Triple-A in 2005, but never any further. Pérez, however, had been going strong for an impressive 19 years.

But now, the 41-year-old Pérez has announced that he is retiring from baseball.

¡THE LAST DANCE! ¡Oliver Pérez anuncia que 2022 será su último año en el béisbol profesional! #OliverLastDance🔥⚾ pic.twitter.com/TagRZplv6B

— Toros De Tijuana 🏆 (@TorosDeTijuana) February 18, 2022

Pérez was with the Pirates for four years, and during that time, he posted an ERA of 4.59, FIP of 4.66, all in 398.0 innings pitched. Although Pérez was never a part of a winning Pirates team or even had good offensive support, he sure could strike guys out and a good toolbelt of pitches. In 2006, the Pirates included him in a package to the Mets to acquire Xavier Nady at the trade deadline.

In his later years, Pérez carved out a good career as a lefty specialist in the bullpen and showed that an old dog could indeed learn new tricks. In all, he played for eight teams in his Major League career before moving on to the Toros De Tijuana of the Mexican League last season.

We here at Pittsburgh Baseball Now wish Pérez a happy retirement.