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Blue Jays pitcher Erik Swanson finally opens up on why he decided to retire
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Erik Swanson announced his retirement last week and during a recent interview announced the reasoning behind his decision.
Swanson broke the news last week that after spending 12 years in professional baseball, he decided to ultimately retire from the game.
Erik Swanson reveals he wanted to spend more time with his family
During a recent interview on the 6ix inning podcast, Swanson spoke about his decision to retire stating that it all began when he was released by the Blue Jays last season.
After spending the season at home being a husband and a father, Swanson admitted that he felt that he was just at the point where he wanted to be home instead of being on the road playing baseball.
"It just kind of felt like I was ready to be at home, be a husband, be a father full- time," Swanson told the hosts. "Obviously, the day-to-day grind over 12 seasons in the minor leagues, in the big leagues, is a lot for a player to deal with. When you start mixing in a family, wife, kids, it's even more." -Swanson
Swanson also spoke on how he was traded to the Blue Jays back in 2022 when he was traded to Toronto, he found out in the middle of a hunting trip in Montana with his family.
"I was out there with my in-laws, and I had no service at the time, and all I knew was I got traded, but I didn't know to where," he shared. "I finally drove, like, 20 miles to get reception, and I got told I was going to Toronto.. I was like, this is if I'm going to get traded somewhere, this is probably one of the best places I could get traded to, unbelievable atmosphere... So I was pretty excited right away." -Swanson
Due to the career he has had, Swanson could have surely found a new deal this off-season and pitched in 2026 but it looks like he came to the decision that he was finally done with baseball.
After 7 years in the MLB, Swanson finishes with a career 4.20 ERA in 266 innings pitched to go along with an 11-16 record and 281 strikeouts.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 26 | 736 ANSWERS Blue Jays pitcher Erik Swanson finally opens up on why he decided to retire Could Erik Swanson landed a new contract this off-season? | ||
| Yes | 253 | 34.4 % |
| No | 483 | 65.6 % |
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