Doug Fister, a reliable right-hander for the Tigers' dominant rotations in the early years of this decade, has decided to retire from his Major League pitching career, his agent, Page Odle, told MLB.com on Wednesday.
Fister, who turned 35 this month, received multiple Major League contract offers this offseason, Odle said. But now Fister is eager to spend more time with his wife, Ashley, and the couple's two young daughters.
"He's been contemplating this for a couple months," Odle said in a telephone interview. "The main reason is that he wants to start a new chapter in his life. This is 100 percent family driven. He's really excited about being a dad and husband. He's very much a family-oriented guy."
While Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer were the most acclaimed pitchers in a rotation that powered four consecutive American League Central champions, Fister was the pitching staff's steadying force. In three postseasons with the Tigers, he went 3-2 with a 2.98 ERA in eight games, including a road victory at Yankee Stadium in Game 5 of the 2011 AL Division Series. 
Fister reached the World Series with the Tigers in 2012, making what proved to be his lone Fall Classic start in San Francisco, about 130 miles from his hometown of Merced, Calif. In the second inning of that Game 2, he was struck on the head by a line drive off the bat of Grégor Blanco but he remained in the game and allowed only one earned run over six innings. 
Fister returned to AT&T Park in the postseason two years later, when he threw seven shutout innings in Game 3 of the National League Division Series to help the Nationals avoid elimination against the Giants. He was the only pitcher to beat Madison Bumgarner in the seven games pitched by the Giants' ace that October. 
Fister debuted with the Mariners in 2009 and also pitched for the Astros, Red Sox and Rangers, while compiling a 83-92 record with a 3.72 ERA in 242 Major League games.