Dillon Gee, a former member of the New York Mets, announced his retirement from baseball. The righty pitched for several clubs over an eight-year Major League career.
Dillon Gee, a former starting pitcher for the New York Mets, has announced his retirement. The 32-year-old let the baseball world know that he was calling it a career through a post to his Instagram account late Monday night.
Over his eight-year Major League career, Gee pitched for the Mets, Royals, Rangers, and Twins. The righty finished out his professional baseball career by spending a season with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
Even though he hasn’t worn orange and blue since 2015, Gee will be best remembered for his time with the New York Mets. Through a turbulent time of not so “Amazin” baseball, Gee was a steady force within the Mets’ rotation. The righty finished his Mets career with a record of 40-37 and an ERA of 4.03. Not legendary numbers, but numbers that deserve respect, especially while pitching for a struggling ball club.
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Unfortunately, injuries sapped some of Gee’s ability and appeal as the righty has dealt with multiple blood clots and thoracic outlet syndrome surgery following the 2016 season.
Unlike his former teammate, Matt Harvey, Gee bounced back rather nicely from his TOS surgery. Gee was able to pitch to an ERA+ of 132 throughout the remainder of his Major League career, even if those numbers came in only 49.1 innings pitched.
In the end, Gee’s retirement comes after an attempt to rejuvenate his appeal and career while pitching in Japan. According to an early 2018 Tweet from Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, Gee planned to re-establish himself as a starter in Japan and return to Major League Baseball in 2019. This plan went slightly awry as Gee made only four starts for the Dragons, posting an ERA of 4.00 over 27 innings pitched. According to The Pioneer Press, Gee’s season ended because of surgery to repair yet another blood clot.
Dillon Gee was drafted by the New York Mets in the 21st round of the 2007 MLB Draft. His story shows that anyone, drafted anywhere, can have a successful stay in Major League Baseball, even if your body tries to decide otherwise. Written from a fan, enjoy your second act, Dillon.