Matt Cain gathered his teammates together privately Wednesday morning to let them know that his final start of the season on Saturday will be the last of his career. Cain (32) has spent 13 years in the majors, all with the San Francisco Giants. After many years of success, from his rookie campaign in 2005 to 2012, Cain had fallen on hard times with injury problems. He will go out a three-time World Series champion and a three-time All Star after one more start in San Francisco.

After he told his teammates he came out to meet the press and talk about his decision.

He told CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic, "This weekend will definitely be my last time in a Giants uniform, and I can't see myself going anywhere else to play with another team." Cain's final start Saturday will be against the San Diego Padres at 1:05 PDT at AT&T Park.

Cain's career

Matt Cain was one of the best pitchers in the National League during the turn of the decade. He made his debut in 2005, and was fifth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2006 when he was still eligible in rookie status. He made his first All Star team in 2009 when he finished the year with a 14-8 record and a 2.89 ERA. In 2010 he won his first World Series with the Giants, and would go on to win two more in 2012 and 2014.

Note that by 2014, Cain had already begun having arm issues and was not able to participate in the 2014 postseason but he was still a member of the team.

His best years as an MLB pitcher spanned from 2009-2012, which he won 55 games, sported a 2.93 ERA and 1.096 WHIP in 882.0 innings pitched. Also during that time he had a postseason ERA of 2.10 and a 1.052 WHIP in eight games started.

2012 was extra special for him as he not only started in every postseason clinching game, he threw the 22nd perfect game in MLB history against the Houston Astros on June 13, 2012.

Sadly the rest of his career would be plagued by injuries, including elbow surgery and other various ailments which took a toll on his performance.

After seven years of starting 30 or more games a season, he only did it once in 2013 and has averaged only 16 starts per year since 2014. He currently sports a 4.86 ERA and 1.388 WHIP since the start of 2013 in 544.0 innings.

His legacy

Despite a rough end to his career, he will always be remembered for the great things he accomplished during his prime years. He has pitched the second-most innings and struck out the third most batters by any Giants pitcher during their six-decade tenure in San Francisco. He was also among the first Giants team that brought a World Series championship to the Bay Area.

The team may be having a really down year in 2017, but Saturday will be very big for Cain and the fans as they honor one of the franchises' best players one last time. Happy retirement, Matt Cain.