Former Nationals RHP Patterson retires

Jan 8, 2009 - 8:21 PM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Persistent pain in his forearm has forced former Washington Nationals righthander John Patterson to retire.

Patterson, who made the announcement on Wednesday, suffered from right forearm problems dating to the 2006 season, and two surgeries were unable to fix the problem.

Patterson, 30, played six seasons and was 18-25 with a 4.32 ERA during his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Montreal Expos and Nationals.

His best season came with Washington in 2005, when he went 9-7 with a 3.13 ERA in 31 starts.

"That's a year I look back on and go, 'You know, that year really went right for me.' That's the way my career was supposed to be," Patterson told MLB.com. "I worked hard. I prepared myself. I didn't get the wins I should have gotten."

After the 2005 season, Patterson made just a combined 15 starts over the next two years because of nerve damage in his forearm.

Last season, Patterson proclaimed that his forearm problems were behind him, but he was hit hard during Spring Training and the Nationals released him on March 20. He was 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in nine innings, and opposing hitters had a .317 batting average against him.