“It’s Just My Time”: Jake Arrieta Retires After 12 Seasons

One of our favorite Pro Frogs says goodbye to the MLB.

After 12 seasons in the MLB, Jake Arrieta is retiring. He announced his decision on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast, where he said he hasn’t signed papers yet, but plans to retire this year.

A product of Plano East Senior High School, Arrieta played for TCU from 2006-2007. He also played for the USA Men’s Baseball Team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal.

Arrieta was drafted in 2007, where he was a 5th round draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles. He got the attention of minor league fans with his low WHIP and scoreless innings. He made his MLB debut in 2010 and played for the Orioles for 3 years before they made the incredibly poor decision to trade him to the Cubs. Arrieta won the Cy Young Award in 2015, and he played a huge role in the Cubs’ World Series win in 2016. He put up fantastic numbers with the Cubs for 5 years, including no-hitters in 2015 and 2016.

Arrieta was also known for his slugging power and did well in the annual Home Rome Derby. In Game 3 of the 2016 NLDS, Arrieta hit a 3-run home run, which eventually led to the Cubs winning the World Series that year.

Chicago has always held onto Jake’s heart, so seeing him get traded to the Phillies in 2018 was tough.

Things got tougher as injuries just seemed to linger and new ones piled on during his time in Philly. Knee surgery, elbow surgery, a hamstring injury after COVID–they just kept coming. Finally, he became a free agent and, wouldn’t you know, he was picked up by his old pals in Chicago once again. Now it was February 2021, and he was back home. Unfortunately, injuries continued to plague the pitcher, and he was released from the team in August.

The Padres picked him up, because we all know they can use all the help they can possibly get anywhere on the field. Arrieta was a fantastic opportunity for them, with two of their pitchers out with injuries. Unfortunately, Arrieta’s own plague or injuries followed him to the West Coast, and he was out with another hamstring injury before Fall. He returned to the mound a month later and had yet another injury–this time to one of his abdominal muscles. He was designated for assignment a few days later, after just four starts for the Padres.

And so our time of watching Arrieta take the mound has come to an end. Autographed photos of the player with the epic beard, copies of ESPN Magazine’s Body Issue, and t-shirts with the nickname “Jake the Snake” will be put away in a drawer for now. But Chicago parents and Cubs fans everywhere will forever show replays of Game 6 of the 2016 World Series, where a former TCU Horned Frog kept the Cubs alive and brought a World Series Championship home.

Thanks for the memories, Jake. Enjoy your retirement.