Phillies news and rumors 12/14: Reliever Tommy Hunter retires from baseball

A former Phillies reliever announced his official retirement on Wednesday.

Right-hander Tommy Hunter is calling it a career after 16 seasons, he told The Athletic‘s Britt Ghiroli. The 37-year-old pitched part of three seasons in Philadelphia from 2018 to 2020.

RHP Tommy Hunter is officially retired, he tells The Athletic. Hunter pitched for seven teams over 16 seasons and is unclear what the future holds. The father of four said he feels like he "might have something to give back to the game."

— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) December 13, 2023

Rising to prominence as a reliable bullpen piece earlier in his career in Baltimore, Hunter signed a two-year free-agent contract with the Phillies before the 2018 season. That first year in Philadelphia went nicely for Hunter as he posted a 3.80 ERA in 64 innings across 65 appearances. However, injury limited him to just five outings the next season. He re-signed for one year in 2020 and had a 4.01 ERA in 24 appearances.

Hunter then pitched for the Mets for parts of three seasons from 2021 to 2023. He had a 6.85 ERA in 14 outings this past season and was released by New York in June.

“The Bigger Fella” — as he was called on his 2018 Players’ Weekend jersey with the Phillies — had a 4.07 ERA in 917 1/3 career innings.

Must-read (or watch) Phillies content

• Our own Destiny Lugardo examined what a Bryce Harper extension could look like.
• Former Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro — who caught Hunter in 2018 — has a new home.
• Oh yeah, Shohei Ohtani is coming to the National League as a member of the Dodgers.

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