Kirby Yates picked an unusual way to end a 12-year career. The Pirates right-hander made the first start of his major league life on Saturday at Comerica Park, worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings against the Tigers, and announced afterward that he is retiring.

“I don't have anything left. Let's put it that way,” Yates said after the game. “I've been running on fumes for a while, and I think it's just time, and it's felt like it's been time for a little while now.”

The start itself was a piece of history. Yates had made 517 appearances before Saturday, every one of them in relief, making him the first Pirate in the modern era to debut as a starter after that many outings from the bullpen. He worked around two hits in a scoreless first, then retired Riley Greene on a groundout and struck out Dillon Dingler before Don Kelly came to get him.

What followed was the kind of send-off road players rarely get. Yates received hugs from teammates and his manager, then a standing ovation from a Detroit crowd of 41,377 as he blew kisses toward the dugout and waved to his family. The Tigers were honoring Justin Verlander in the same game, as the 43-year-old capped his own 22-year career.

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Yates leaves with a resume built almost entirely on late innings. He debuted with Tampa Bay in 2014 and went on to pitch for the Yankees, Angels, Padres, Braves, Rangers, Dodgers and Pirates, compiling a 32-29 record, a 3.36 ERA, 670 strikeouts and 101 saves.

His peak came in San Diego. Yates made his first All-Star team in 2019, led the National League with 41 saves and earned All-MLB First Team honors. He added a second All-Star nod with Texas in 2024, when he saved 33 games and posted a career-best 1.17 ERA.

Pittsburgh acquired him from the Angels at the trade deadline in August, and though the stint lasted barely two months, Yates said it renewed his appreciation for the game. Teammates noticed. “Kirby is the man,” Bubba Chandler said Friday. “I think baseball's gonna miss him.”