Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the 2019 World Series MVP, announces his retirement at 35 | KLRT [Video]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg announced his retirement Sunday, ending the 2019 World Series MVP’s injury-filled career.

Since leading Washington to its only World Series title five years ago, the 35-year-old Strasburg pitched just 31 1/3 innings over eight starts.

“I realized after repeated attempts to return to pitching, injuries no longer allow me to perform at a major league level,” Strasburg said in a statement. His retirement had been listed on Major League Baseball’s transaction page Saturday.

General manager Mike Rizzo, who selected Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 amateur draft, said the right-hander was on “the Mount Rushmore of the Nationals.”

“When he was on the mound, he was as good as any pitcher in baseball — ever,” Rizzo said Sunday before the Nationals played the Phillies. “Unfortunately for him and for us, it wasn’t as we wanted it to be.”

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