Former Pitcher Corey Kluber Discusses Cleveland Career Post-Retirement

This past Monday, the Cleveland Guardians welcomed back a pair of notable former players to throw out first pitches for the team’s 2024 home opener.

But before the two took the field during the pregame festivities, they spoke to the media.

One of these two players was former Cleveland starting pitcher Corey Kluber, who announced his retirement from baseball this past offseason.

The right-hander spent his first nine Major League seasons with the team before being traded to the Texas Rangers during the 2019 offseason. In return, Cleveland acquired outfielder Delino DeShields and current closer Emmanuel Clase.

During media availability this past Monday, Kluber was asked if he looks back to his time with Cleveland as when he had the best times of his MLB career.

“For me, definitely. This is the only place I spent more than a year,” Kluber said. “This is the only place that I played that I was here for an extended amount of time. Developed relationships not just with people that you play with, but people in the clubhouse, people who work around the stadium, people who work for the team in other areas. I was never anywhere long enough to have that same feeling anywhere else.”

Former Cleveland pitcher Corey Kluber, facing, hugs Guardians pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) before the team’s home opener against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, April 8, 2024. © Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kluber was a three-time American League All-Star with Cleveland, and had one of the most stellar pitching careers in franchise history.

He is the only Cleveland pitcher to win multiple Cy Young Awards, taking home the American League honor in both 2014 and 2017.

Kluber also ranks top-five on the club’s career leaderboard in WHIP (1.086, second), strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.003, second), strikeouts (1,461, third), strikeouts per nine innings (9.8, fourth), and adjusted ERA+ (134, tied for fourth).