Former Dodger, Angel Tony Watson announces retirement

After over a decade of making hitters - mostly lefties - look foolish, Tony Watson has called it a career.

Drafted in 2007 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Watson's career spanned 11 seasons where he made 689 appearances out of the bullpen for four different franchises. In that time he gathered 246 holds, 47 wins and 32 saves in 648.1 innings pitched. He tallied 570 strikeouts in that time, all to the tune of a 2.90 career ERA.

Watson, now 36, was named an All-Star in 2014 while still with Pittsburgh, a season in which he finished with a 1.63 ERA in 78 appearances. 

After spending 2011 thru 2017 with the Pirates, Watson was shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers midseason, where he made 24 relief appearances with a 2.70 ERA. That season he appeared in the NLDS, NLCS and the World Series - where he ended up earning two wins. 

Watson wound up making 17 postseason relief appearances during his career, where he posted a 2.25 ERA.

He wound end up with the San Francisco Giants following that season, where he stayed until 2020 when he signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. 

While with the Halos, Watson became the all-time holds leader in MLB history, finishing his career with 246 - 20 more than the nearest player.

Watson's final innings would once again come with the Giants after he was traded at the 2021 deadline. 

He made a name for himself in the early 2000s as a left-handed specialist, traditionally used in a tough spot where a manager needed an out against a left-handed batter. Despite a rule change in 2021, which required a pitcher face a minimum of three hitters in an appearance, Watson continued to show success even into the later stages of his career.

He made the official announcement Monday.