Former MLB All-Star Francisco Liriano retires at age 38

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Francisco Liriano, a Major League Baseball All-Star with the Minnesota Twins in 2006, retired at the age of 38, according to Benjamin Jones of SB Nation on Friday. Liriano, a native of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, played 14 seasons of MLB with the Twins, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, and Detroit Tigers from 2005 to 2019.

In 419 career games, Liriano had a record of 112 wins and 114 losses, 1815 strikeouts, and an earned run average of 4.15. During 1813 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 1649 hits, 837 earned runs, 816 walks, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.36. Liriano also pitched three complete games, with one shutout, and one save.

Liriano’s complete game shutout on May 3, 2011, in a 1-0 Twins win over the Chicago White Sox was magical. That is because he became the fifth Twins pitcher in franchise history to throw a no-hitter. He followed Jack Kralick, Dean Chance, Scott Erickson and Eric Milton. Liriano threw the no-hitter even though he entered the game with an earned run average for the season of 9.13, and had six walks, compared to only two strikeouts.

The other two complete games for Liriano came while he was with the Pirates in the 2013 season. Liriano give up only two earned runs in nine innings in a 6-2 Pirates win over the Chicago Cubs on July 5, 2013, and then gave up only one earned run in nine innings in a 5-1 Pirates win over the St. Louis Cardinals on August 14, 2013. The complete game against the Cardinals came only five days after he gave up 10 earned runs in only 2 1/3 innings of work in a 10-1 Pirates loss to the Colorado Rockies. When Liriano initially signed with the Pirates, he came to terms on a three-year deal worth $39 million on December 9, 2014.

Meanwhile, Liriano’s only Major League save came in his best season in the Major Leagues in 2006, the year he was an American League all-star. It occurred in a 15-5 Twins win over the Texas Rangers on May 9, 2006 in a game where Liriano pitched three shutout innings. Also that season, Liriano had a record of 12 wins and three losses with an earned run average of 2.16. Liriano’s final MLB season was also with the Pirates in 2019. That year he had a record of five wins and three losses, and an earned run average of 3.47.

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