Former Cleveland Indians Closer Cody Allen Announces His Retirement

From 2014 to 2018, Cody Allen was one of the best closers in Major League Baseball, saving 147 games over those five years.

As happens to all of us though, Father Time has caught up with Allen, 32, and MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted out on Wednesday that Allen is retiring from the game of baseball.

Allen did get some interest from a couple of teams this offseason, but instead of trying to hang on for one more season, he decided to walk away.

One of the shining moments for Allen was his time with Cleveland in 2016 when the Tribe went on a postseason run that not many saw coming.

With injuries crippling their starting rotation, manager Terry Francona used the strength of his roster to help the team stack playoff wins, going to the bullpen as early as the fourth or fifth inning some nights.

Allen and the reliever who won the ALCS MVP award that year, Andrew Miller, were two huge reasons the Indians swept the Boston Red Sox in the divisional round, then beat the favored Blue Jays 4-1 in the ALCS.

The Indians got within one game of winning a title for the first time since 1948, as they had a 3-1 series lead against the Chicago Cubs.

Allen threw in four games in that series, didn't allow a run, struck out 12 Cubs in six innings, and saved a memorable Game 3 1-0 at Wrigley Field.

The next two seasons, Allen remained the closer before his contract was up, and he inked with the Los Angeles Angels prior to the 2019 season.

Unable to regain the form he had in Cleveland, he was released by the Angels after just five months on the roster. He then bounced around the league, pitching for Minnesota, Texas and the Cubs.