DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Brad Penny's quest to make it back to the big leagues has come to an end.
The veteran right-hander elected to retire on Friday in Spring Training with the Blue Jays. He last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2014, going 2-1 with a 6.58 ERA for Miami that season, and he'll finish his big league career with a 121-101 record and a 4.29 ERA in 349 appearances.
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Penny, 37, made the quiet announcement Friday morning when he walked into the office of manager John Gibbons and told him that it was time to step away. The move came one day after Penny allowed five runs on four hits and three walks in a spring start against the Astros.
"He came in this morning, he actually got here earlier than I did, and it was at that point of his career that he decided he had enough," Gibbons said. "He had a tremendous career. I always heard good things about him, got to know him a little bit during this short period of time, and he's really a great guy. Shoot, he pitched forever, but it got to that point."
Penny was originally selected by the D-backs as a fifth-round selection in the 1996 Draft, and he was traded to the Marlins in 1999. Penny pitched for six big league teams during his career, was named to two All-Star teams (in 2006 and '07 while pitching for the Dodgers) and finished third in the National League Cy Young Award voting in '07.
Penny won 50 games for the Marlins and 46 games for the Dodgers during his career. He also pitched for the Giants, Cardinals, Red Sox and Tigers. The Blackwell, Okla., native won a World Series with the Marlins in 2003; he posted a career record of 3-2 with a 7.66 ERA in nine postseason appearances.
"Big, strong guy, he was a workhorse," Gibbons said. "I tip my hat to him."