Grant Balfour, 38, announces retirement

Grant Balfour, the famously fiery reliever who became one of the most accomplished Australians in MLB history, announced his retirement Friday, roughly one year after his last outing in the big leagues.

"I had a pretty good career,'' Balfour told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "I was lucky to play for such a long time. .. I got to do a lot of things. ... It was definitely a lot of fun.''

Balfour, 38, signed with the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1997 and ended up spending a dozen seasons in the majors, earning an All-Star appearance in 2013 while enjoying a stretch as one of the American League's most dominant relievers. From 2008 through 2013, Balfour compiled more WAR than all but 12 relievers, posting a 2.74 ERA (3.18 FIP) while notching 72 saves in 89 chances over that span.

Last year, after stumbling through a rough 2014 campaign, Balfour was released by the Tampa Bay Rays in April following six shaky outings, and though he re-signed a minor-league contract with the club shortly thereafter, he opted out of that deal in May.

"It was honestly a great ride, meeting a lot of people and developing friendships along the way. I now look forward to sitting home and being a spectator and be able to spend more time with my family. Thanks again.''

Born and raised in Sydney, Balfour cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Australian-born pitchers ever across stints with Tampa Bay, the Oakland A's, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers, amassing more career WAR than all his fellow countrymen while appearing in more games than everyone except Graeme Lloyd.

Australian-born pitchers w/100+ appearances