NEW BRITAIN, CONN. – New Britain Bees relief pitcher and 13-year MLB veteran Joe Beimel has announced his retirement from professional baseball.
“Joe was a great, veteran clubhouse presence and he will be missed,” said Bees manager Stan Cliburn in a news release Sunday. “I wish him and his family the best in his retirement.”
Beimel is a 1995 graduate of St. Marys High School.
The 40-year old Beimel was drafted in the 26th round of the 1996 MLB Amateur Draft by the Texas Rangers, and began his professional career after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 18th round of the 1998 MLB Amateur Draft out of Duquesne University. The 6-foot 3 left hander made his major league debut on April 8th, 2001 for the Pirates against the Houston Astros. During his Major League career, Beimel suited up for the Pirates (2001-03, 2011), Minnesota Twins (2004), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005), Los Angeles Dodgers (2006-08), Washington Nationals (2009), Colorado Rockies (2009-10), and Seattle Mariners (2014-15), appearing in 676 Major League games.
Beimel was the first player to wear the number 97 in Major League history.
Beimel twice played in the MLB postseason, in 2008 for the Dodgers and in 2009 for the Rockies. During the 2008 postseason, Beimel made three scoreless appearances for Los Angeles during the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Beimel signed with New Britain on March 22, 2017, and appeared in 22 games for the Bees, registering six saves and a 3-2 record. Across 19 professional seasons, the native of St. Marys, Pennsylvania appeared in 938 games, tallying 57 wins, 777 strikeouts, and 13 saves across 1254 innings.
