LHP C.J. Wilson making pitch to shift gears and race cars

C.J. Wilson may have traded one sport for another.

The veteran left-hander hinted to the ABC affiliate of Fresno (Calif.) that he is retiring from baseball to pursue a full-time career in auto racing.

Wilson, 36, owns a racing team and recently purchased a BMW, Audi and Porsche dealership in Fresno.

"I'm a rookie car dealer now," Wilson said. "Now, I'm here to stay ... I'm really looking forward to learning the community, selling cars, and making people happy.

"I've been in racing since I was a kid, started carting when I was probably 6 ... now it's going to be a big deal. I don't have to hide it any more, no contract violations to worry about or things like that."

While Wilson never mentioned the word "retirement," he sounded very much like one who has come to terms with his baseball career.

"I've made all of my mistakes as a baseball player that I'll ever make, hopefully, so that's good, no more home runs to give up, but as a race car driver, I'm sure I'm going to have crashes and stuff like that ahead of me," Wilson said.

Wilson posted a 94-70 record with 52 saves and a 3.74 ERA in 11 seasons with the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels. Shoulder problems kept the two-time All-Star off the mound in 2016, which was the final season of his five-year, $77.5 million deal with the Angels.