2003 World Series Champion Brad Penny who had two stints with the Marlins will retire from Major League Baseball.
Penny played with both the Florida Marlins and the Miami Marlins during parts of his productive 14-year big league career. Penny began his work way back in 2000 in teal and black for Florida and stayed with the team until 2004. From there, the hard-throwing right-handed posted big numbers on the other side of the continent.
Penny's biggest seasons came while wearing blue as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander won 16 games in back-to-back seasons and even started an All-Star Game while with L.A. In 2007, Penny would finish third in Cy Young voting and the sky seemed to be the limit for the then 29-year old.
Injuries unfortunately got in the way and derailed what otherwise could have been a longer career. Penny's numbers began to drop and he would move around the league with stops in Boston, St. Louis, Detroit and San Francisco. Then, in 2014 Penny found himself back in South Florida as a member of the Miami Marlins. The year did not go as well as hoped, but there were moments of nostalgia for fans and Penny alike.
Even though his aforementioned numbers with Los Angeles outdid his statistics with either Marlins team, Penny's biggest career moment came while playing for his original club. In 2003, Penny went 2-0 with a 2.19 E.R.A in the World Series. Even though Josh Beckett took home Most Valuable Players honors, a case easily could have been made for Penny as well. Half of the championship victories were credited to him, and Penny was just as dominant as Beckett at times.
Penny has been unable to reach the big leagues again since his time in 2014 with Miami and was in camp this year with the Toronto Blue Jays. With a roster spot looking unlikely, the veteran decided to walk away from the game. Penny was knocked around in his final appearance on Thursday, before notifying his manager of his retirement decision on Friday.
The only remaining active Major Leaguer from the 2003 champions is Miguel Cabrera. The All-Star will be in town on Opening Night at Marlins Park on April 5th with his Detroit Tigers.
