Former Yankees southpaw J.A. Happ has officially called it a career after 15 MLB seasons.
Happ, who turns 40 in October, said he felt it was time to retire after having an emotional conversation with his wife, Morgan Cawley, on Opening Day in April.
“It got to the point where it was Opening Day, and I turned the first game on, and I talked to my wife, Morgan, and I said ’What are you feeling?’” Happ said during a May 26 episode of “The Heart Strong” podcast with Jessica Lindberg.
Happ became a free agent over the winter after 11 starts for St. Louis, where he landed following a trade from the Twins last July.
“[Morgan] just kind of looked at me and said, ’A little anxiety.’ I wanted to turn it on to see what I felt, too, and I didn’t maybe feel what I needed to feel in order to think I wanted to keep doing this,” Happ explained. “I felt like that was a sign, like, ’OK, it’s time to go.'”
“Even though I had put the work in to be ready if the right situation came, I felt like it was time to move on and be a dad and dive into the kids,” said Happ, who shares a son and daughter with Morgan, whom he tied the knot with in 2014.
“It was emotional — something I didn’t expect. I called my agent that day, right after we turned that game on, and said, ’I think this is it.’ I told the people I feel like I needed to tell. I think I’m still processing it, but I do wake up feeling good about it, and I’m happy to start the process of being a full-time dad, for the time being, at the very least.”
Happ pitched for eight teams, including the Yankees, over a 15-year career in the majors. He was taken by the Phillies No. 92 overall in the third round of the 2004 MLB Draft.
The Northwestern product won a World Series ring in 2008 with the Phillies, and made his only All-Star appearance with the Blue Jays in 2018.
Happ retires with a career 133-100 record and a 4.13 ERA over 1,893.2 innings, 1661 strikeouts, a 2.49 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 21.5 wins above replacement.