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In addition to the Mike Matheny contract extension, the Cardinals press conference this afternoon spun out another news item: general manager John Mozeliak telling the public that Chris Carpenter has told the team he is retiring.

This is no surprise. Carpenter didn’t pitch at all in 2013 after experiencing continued numbness in his pitching hand, the result of injuries and surgery which never did get quite right for him back in 2012. It was reported last month that Carpenter was likely to retire, and now it’s official.

Carpenter finishes his 15-year major league career with a 144-94 record, a 3.76 ERA (116 ERA+) and 1,697 strikeouts in 2,219 1/3 innings. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 2005 and earned World Series rings in 2006 and 2011.

A plaque is waiting for him in the Hall of Very Good.