“Wader, check please” became a common phrase uttered by Rex Hudler after relief pitcher Wade Davis threw the last pitch of a win. Today, Davis has asked for the proverbial check on his career: at 36 years of age, the legendary Royals relief pitcher—the man who will be forever known as the pitcher who closed out the clinching game of the 2015 World Series—has retired.
The Royals acquired Davis in what had originally been known as “The James Shields Trade” along with Shields in exchange for Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, and Jeremy Jeffress. But it is to Davis’ credit that you could argue that the trade was simply “The Wade Davis Trade.