Mike Mussina Retires

New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina has decided to retire after 18 seasons in Major League Baseball. The announcement was made on November 20, 2008. He is only the fifth MLB pitcher ever to retire after winning 20 games in his final season.ESPN.com: Mussina retires on a high note (November 20, 2008) Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports was the first to report the story on November 19, 2008.FOX Sports: Yanks Mussina to retire after first 20-win season (November 19, 2008)

Mussina retires from baseball with a record of 270 wins and 153 losses. Only five pitchers in the history of baseball have as many victories and a higher winning percentage than Mussina. In his career he's had 2,813 career strikeouts which puts him 19th all-time on the MLB strikeout list and sixth among active pitchers. Mussina is coming off an impressive 2008 season where he won a Gold Glove award and recorded his first 20-win season.FOX Sports: Yanks Mussina to retire after first 20-win season (November 19, 2008)

• "I have not talked to him lately. He had led me to believe that that's what was going to happen at the end of the year. I wasn't quite sure in a sense that I believed him because sometimes when you get away from it you really miss it."—Joe GirardiESPN.com: Mussina set to retire (November 19, 2008)

• "Mike will be making a decision on his intentions shortly. Given the significance of this to Mike I would hope you can respect his desire to be the author of any such announcement consistent with his own time table. A decision of this magnitude should not be the subject of unconfirmed rumors and speculation. Accordingly, I am not going to make any further comment until Mike has made his final decision." —Arn TellemESPN.com: Mussina set to retire (November 19, 2008), agent of Mike Mussina

• "I think it'd be pretty cool [to retire after 20 wins]. I don't know what everyone else thinks, but I think it'd be pretty cool." —Mike MussinaMLB.com: Mussina announces his retirement (November 20, 2008)