Former A's closer Brad Ziegler retires on 39th birthday

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It must be a great feeling to defy the odds, prove everyone wrong and walk away knowing you accomplished more than anyone expected you to.

That's what former A's closer Brad Ziegler felt for the last 11 years, and on Wednesday, the 39-year-old submarine pitcher announced his retirement from baseball.

Here's the lengthy letter Ziegler penned:

Ziegler was drafted by the A's in the 31st round of the 2002 MLB Draft, but didn't sign. A year later, the Phillies took him in the 20th round and he signed. In 2004, Philadelphia released Ziegler and he went and played in the independent Northern League. He made four appearances for Schaumburg before being signed by the A's to a minor league deal.

It took Ziegler a while to work his way through the A's system, but he finally achived his dream of reaching the big leagues in 2008. He would go on to appear in 223 games for the A's between 2008 and 2011. He posted a 2.49 ERA and struck out 154 batters in 231.1 innings while converting 19 saves over that span.

At the July 31 trade deadline in 2011, the A's traded Ziegler to Arizona for Brandon Allen and Jordan Norberto. He would go on to play with the Red Sox and Marlins. He was able to finish his career with the D'backs after the Marlins dealt him to Arizona this past July for a minor league pitcher.

Ziegler hangs up his cleats with a career 2.75 ERA and 105 career saves.

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