Fans congratulate sidearming relief pitcher Darren O'Day upon his retirement: "Great dude and hell of a career", "Paved the way for funky pitchers"

Longtime major-league relief pitcher Darren O'Day announced his retirement on Monday. The somewhat wacky sidearming hurler pitched for six different teams since debuting with the Los Angeles Angels in 2008, gaining fame for his peculiar delivery and tremendous personality.

Sidearm throwing pitchers are still a rarity in the major leagues. When one gains a career as long as O'Day's, impersonators follow among the amateur throwers who follow baseball. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Darren O'Day made the delivery work well for him, becoming a valued middle reliever throughout his career.

Darren O'Day played nearly half of his career for the Baltimore Orioles. He earned his lone All-Star Game appearance while pitching for the Orioles in 2015. That season, he logged his lowest ERA in a season in which he appeared in more than 10 games (2.49) and also logged the most season saves of his career with six.

While O'Day never ascended to the rank of full-time closer for any of the six teams he played for, he was a reliable and valued arm whose advanced stats show that he may have indeed been an underestimated pitcher throughout his career.

In addition to his on-field statistics, O'Day was a valued member of several ballclubs as a fan favorite and a "good clubhouse guy". Fans and players from Baltimore, Texas and Atlanta — he pitched three seasons with both the Rangers and Braves — offered up their thanks and congratulations to a player that many described as "their favorite."

Of course, Toronto Blue Jays fans will never forget the rivalry that O'Day had with Jose Bautista. The pair had a long feud while competing for their American League East rival clubs, with Bautista often getting the better of O'Day on the field.

Darren O'Day used sidearm delivery to get to the majors

Darren O'Day of the Baltimore Orioles throws a pitch in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays

During his brief stint with the New York Yankees in 2021, Darren O'Day was asked by reporters why he threw sidearm instead of the traditional overhead manner.

He explained that after he was cut from the University of Florida baseball team, he began experimenting with the unorthodox delivery:

"And then my freshman-sophomore summer, a friend of mine was pitching in a Jacksonville (Florida) municipal 18-and-over league. Anybody 18 and over could try out for these teams. He asked me to come pitch for his team. That’s when I first started goofing around throwing sidearm."

After being encouraged to pursue a sidearm delivery, better results followed, and he landed a spot on the Florida collegiate team. From there, the rest is history. O'Day retired with a career WAR of 17.4.