🚨 JUST IN: The Final Out of 2022 Is Now a Goodbye—Pressly’s Retirement Hits Different ⚡.DD

There was no long farewell tour.
No drawn-out speculation.
No “maybe one more year.”

Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) delivers in the eighth inning during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Houston. (Brett Coomer/Staff photographer)

Just a statement. A pause. And the kind of goodbye that lands heavier because it isn’t loud.

Ryan Pressly has retired.

The two-time All-Star closer who recorded the final out of the Houston Astros’ 2022 World Series championship announced Saturday that his 13-year major-league career is over.

At 37, Pressly is walking away after a run that wasn’t defined by hype early on—but ended with some of the most unforgettable outs of Houston’s golden era.

“It’s bittersweet,” Pressly said. “But what a ride it’s been.”

That ride included 117 regular-season saves across stints with the Twins, Astros, and Cubs—111 of them coming in Houston, where he became more than a reliever.

He became an anchor. A late-inning certainty. A name that didn’t need explanation when the calendar turned to October.

And that’s why this retirement feels so quiet—and so final.

Pressly wasn’t just good. He was dependable in the moments that make franchises.

During one stretch, he worked 22 2/3 consecutive postseason innings without allowing an earned run, a run of dominance that felt almost unreal in an environment built to expose weakness.

In the 2022 playoffs alone, he posted a 0.00 ERA over 10 outings, sealing games and sealing history as Houston captured its second World Series title.

He didn’t just pitch in October.
He lived there.

Only four pitchers—Mariano Rivera, Kenley Jansen, Brad Lidge, and Dennis Eckersley—have more career postseason saves than Pressly. That’s not a list you stumble into. That’s a list you earn one nerve-ending at a time.

In his retirement statement, Pressly didn’t focus on stats. He focused on the moments that still feel like dreams even after they’ve happened.

“Hoisting that World Series trophy in 2022 and closing for Team USA in the 2023 WBC,” he wrote, “those are things I always dreamed of. I’ll carry that joy forever.”

Then came the line that hits Astros fans the hardest:

“Houston, you’ve got our hearts — it’s our forever home now.”

That’s the part people don’t always see with closers. They’re supposed to be detached. Clinical. Emotionless.

Pressly wasn’t sentimental on the mound—but off it, Houston became real life. His wife, Kat, grew up there. Their two children were born during his tenure. The city wasn’t just where he played. It’s where he stayed.

Even after being traded to the Cubs last winter, Pressly made it clear he never emotionally left.

“Man, I loved it so much that we moved our family down here,” he said. “It’s a great city. The fans are unbelievable… I’m forever grateful for that.”

Pressly’s journey wasn’t the typical closer origin story. A Dallas native, he was drafted by the Red Sox in the 11th round in 2007, then selected by the Twins in the Rule 5 Draft in 2012.

He spent parts of six seasons in Minnesota, mostly as a middle reliever or setup man—useful, but not yet legendary.

Then Houston acquired him at the 2018 trade deadline.

And everything changed.

With the Astros, Pressly flourished, posting a 2.81 ERA over seven seasons and earning All-Star selections in 2019 and 2021.

He became the primary closer in 2020 and ranked among the league leaders in saves from 2020 through 2023.

He delivered elite run prevention (151 ERA-plus) and missed bats at a premium rate, averaging 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings during his Houston years.

He wasn’t just closing games.
He was closing eras.

By July 2023, Pressly reached 100 career saves, a milestone he called “pretty special.”

“I never thought I’d get here,” he admitted that night.

That honesty might be the most fitting final detail of all.

Because Ryan Pressly’s career wasn’t built on being chosen first.
It was built on lasting. On evolving. On showing up when the moment demanded it.

And now, without noise or spectacle, one of Houston’s most trusted October arms is simply… gone.

The ninth inning will continue. The Astros will keep chasing titles.

But there will always be something missing in the silence between the eighth and the final out—

The calm certainty of knowing Pressly was already walking in.