Former All-Star closer Hanrahan retires

PITTSBURGH -- After undergoing multiple elbow surgeries since his most recent big league appearance in 2013, Joel Hanrahan is hanging up his cleats for good.
Hanrahan, 35, spent the past three years recovering from Tommy John surgeries. The two-time All-Star closer, who was drafted by the Dodgers in 2000, played parts of seven seasons in the Majors for the Nationals, Pirates and Red Sox. He also signed a pair of Minor League deals with the Tigers after that, but he never appeared in a game with Detroit.
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"It's not gonna work anymore. I've had a couple of surgeries that were big, extensive, tough surgeries," Hanrahan said on MLB on TuneIn Live. "At this point, I've done three years of rehab on it, and it's come to the conclusion that it's not going to work. So my cleats will be hung up, I believe."
Hanrahan was at his best in Pittsburgh, posting a 2.59 ERA with 82 saves over 238 appearances from 2009-12. He racked up 40 saves with a 1.83 ERA in '11 and logged 36 saves in '12, earning an All-Star bid in each season. He was traded to the Red Sox along with Brock Holt in a deal that ultimately netted the Pirates another All-Star closer: Mark Melancon.
Hanrahan underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2013, and again in March 2015, with the latter ending his comeback attempt with the Tigers.

Speaking to hosts Holden Kushner and LaTroy Hawkins, Hanrahan sounded as if he hoped to stay involved in the game somehow, but he'd given up the idea of pitching professionally again.
"I don't think my baseball career has ended, but my playing days are done," Hanrahan said. "You've got to get to a point in your career and look yourself in the mirror, and I did that.
"I know my body, and I know what it takes to get there and to succeed, and it's just not gonna work anymore. It's been a fun run, and [I] look forward to the next part of it."