Kirby Yates Retires

Veteran right-hander Kirby Yates announced his retirement this afternoon following the Pirates’ 4-3 walk-off loss to the Tigers in Detroit. In a game that featured Justin Verlander’s final career start for the Tigers, the Pirates opted for a bullpen game, and manager Don Kelly gave Yates the nod as the opener. It was the first “start” of his big league career after 517 appearances as a reliever. Yates recorded five outs, including a strikeout of Dillon Dingler, before bei