NEW
TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan -- Fubon Guardians pitcher Mike Loree formally retired from
baseball on Monday, 5 September, concluding his professional career that spanned
16 years.
In
the final game of his career on Monday, Loree pitched in front of 10,239 fans
that packed the grandstand of Xinzhuang Stadium, as he went 6.1 innings and
fanned his last batter faced.
Loree is the first player to have his jersey number, 39, retired by the Guardians.
“Having my number retired is something that I have never dreamt of; I am extremely honored, grateful, and that’s something I am very proud of, and very thankful.”
Over
his career, Loree played in the U.S., Mexico, Taiwan and Korea, and retired with
a combined record of 142-106 with a 3.52 ERA, according to baseball-reference.com.
During
his debut season in CPBL, Loree went 6-1 in eight starts and won both starts in
the 2012 Taiwan Series to help the Lamigo Monkeys (now known as Rakuten
Monkeys) secure the title.
Loree
then dominated KBO champions Samsung Lions in the 2012 Asia Series, throwing a
complete shutout to help the Monkeys advance to the Final.
Loree
was recruited by the KBO expansion team KT Wizards in 2014 to be the first
foreign player in franchise history. He returned to Taiwan in 2015, joining the
EDA Rhinos and becoming the third pitcher in CPBL history to win the triple
crown (leader in wins, ERA and strikeouts.)
Loree’s
numbers ranked among the top three in CPBL all-time record in many categories
such as 234 starts (2nd), 102 wins (3rd) and 1271 strikeouts (2nd). Former
Former
Sinon Bull, Osvaldo Martinez, the longest-tenured foreign pitcher in CPBL
history, holds the record for the foreigner with the most wins at 108.
