Superman is hanging up his cape.
Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar — who acquired the superhero nickname due to his defensive prowess in centre — announced his retirement from baseball on Foul Territory on Wednesday.
“I realized that as great as it is to be successful in the game and to have these highs and to his these home runs, the things that — striking out, or not being successful, or going oh for your last 10 — those things always outweighed the success I had in the game,” Pillar said.
“I took the failure I had in the game way harder than I enjoyed the success and I don’t have to deal with the failure anymore, so I’m pretty happy. I wake up every morning just excited to be dad.
From 2013-19 with the Blue Jays, Pillar wowed fans with his acrobatic catches in the outfield, often pulling home runs back at the Rogers Centre wall.
With the bat, he carried a .692 OPS over his seven seasons in Toronto, collecting 55 homers, 231 RBIs and 69 stolen bases.
The West Hills, Calif., native was a crucial part of the Blue Jays’ 2015 and 2016 playoff teams. He rose up the system after being drafted in the 32nd round in 2011 and turned into Toronto’s everyday centre fielder for most of his time with the big-league club.
The Jays traded him to the San Francisco Giants in 2019 for two relievers and infielder Alen Hanson.
Pillar then bounced around the league, spending time with the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
He spent the first 17 games of the 2024 campaign with the Chicago White Sox before being released and latching on with the Los Angeles Angels, where he experienced somewhat of a renaissance.
Once in L.A., the longtime Blue Jays outfielder turned his season around. Over 83 games with the Angels, Pillar slashed .236/.291/.378 with seven home runs, 41 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
He signed a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers ahead of spring training in February and played 20 games with the club before being released on May 31.
Pillar told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi last August: “When I say it’s over, it’s over, there’s no coming back.” He added that officially deciding to hang up his cleats will be a “tough decision.”
Now, the decision has been made.
