2-Time Cy Young Winner Working on a Return to the Yankees – Kind Of
On the verge of spring training getting underway, two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber decided his MLB career was over. But that doesn’t mean his time in the game is done — the New York Yankees are still interested in having him around.
The right-handed hurler officially announced his retirement on Instagram on February 9. But on February 15, Erik Boland of Newsday reported that Kluber and the Yankees have been discussing a new role for him within the organization. “According to multiple sources, the Yankees are talking w/ two-time AL Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber, a former Yankee who recently retired, about a yet-to-be-defined advisory position w/ the organization,” he said on X (formerly Twitter). “Kluber, who lives in the area, was at the ML complex earlier this week.”
Kluber spent one season of his 13-year career with the Yankees. He went 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 80 innings in 2021 for the Bombers.
Kluber’s Best Work Came in Cleveland
When looking at Kluber’s Baseball Reference page, it’s no secret as to where he did his best work on the mound. The hurler spent the first nine years of his MLB career in Cleveland, establishing himself as one of the game’s most dominant pitchers during a short period. All of his major individual accomplishments happened in Cleveland: the two Cy Young Awards, the three All-Star Game appearances and his ERA title.
The first Cy Young Award happened in 2014. Kluber went 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 269 strikeouts in 235 innings pitched. He not only took home the Cy Young, but the hurler also earned down-ballot American League MVP Award votes. He finished 11th in voting.
This campaign was the start of a dominant five-year run for Kluber. From 2014-18, he never finished lower than ninth in Cy Young voting. He also put together five straight years of 200-plus innings pitched, tossing a total of 1,091.1 frames. Kluber posted an 83-45 record to go along with a 2.85 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 1,228 strikeouts during this time. He won at least 18 games in a season four times, which included winning 20 in 2018.
His Final Years Included a Tour of the AL East
After being so durable for Cleveland, Kluber couldn’t stay healthy in 2019. He went 2-3 with a 5.80 ERA in just 35.2 innings pitched. The righty’s last game with the organization came on May 1. He left the start early after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right arm.
Kluber pitched a single inning for the Texas Rangers in 2020. That’s when he began a tour of the American League East to finish his career. It started with the Yankees in 2021 and was followed by playing for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022. He went 10-10 with a 4.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 139 strikeouts in 164 innings for them before spending 2023 with the Boston Red Sox.
His final big-league campaign included more tough times. The 37-year-old struggled to a 3-6 record with a 7.04 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in only 55 innings pitched.
Now that his career is officially in the books, it’s safe to say it was a pretty good one. Kluber’s overall stats include a 116-7
