Former Cy Young Winner Brandon Webb Retires at Age 33

Brandon Webb, the 2006 National League Cy Young Award winner and one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball from 2003-2008, has decided to hang up his cleats at the age of 33, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

Webb has released an official statement via his agents:

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With retirement, Brandon looks forward to focusing on more time with his family. He would like to thank all the countless coaches, players and friends for their support during his career.

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Webb's breakout season came in 2006 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he posted a 3.10 ERA and 16-8 record en route to the NL Cy Young award. He pitched 235 innings that season and led the NL with 16 wins and three shutouts.

He finished second in NL Cy Young voting in both of the following seasons, recording win totals of 18 and 22, respectively. 

Numerous injuries derailed his career following his first and only start in 2009. On Opening Day, he lasted just four innings against the Colorado Rockies before leaving prematurely with discomfort in his shoulder. 

Various shoulder issues prohibited him from making any strides in a comeback attempt. He signed with the Texas Rangers in January 2011, but was never healthy enough to make a comeback.

Webb was known throughout the league as possessing one of, if not the, nastiest sinker in the game. He induced countless ground balls and was even able to utilize his specialty pitch on two-strike counts.

NBC Sports posted a fantastic statistic on Webb after hearing of his retirement: "Among the 136 pitchers with at least 1,000 innings since 2000 he had the highest ground-ball rate at 64.2 percent and the lowest home run rate at 0.63 per nine innings."

Webb retires with a career record of 87-62 and a 3.27 ERA in 1319.2 innings. He will be remembered for his supremacy over a six-year stretch and also for the unfortunate "what-could-have-been" scenario that ended his career.