to "give me a new ball. One you can see." This was Pierzynski's ninth career ejection. Pierzynski's offense regressed with Boston as he hit .254/.286/.348 in 256 at-bats. On July 9, 2014, Pierzynski was designated for assignment and Christian Vázquez was promoted from AAA Pawtucket. A sports column in a Boston newspaper cited disgruntled anonymous Red Sox teammates who disliked Pierzynski, blaming him for the team's overall woes. On July 16, the Red Sox officially released Pierzynski. The Red Sox continued a disastrous slide after Pierzynski departed, and finished 2014 with a record of 71–91. St. Louis Cardinals On July 26, 2014, the St. Louis Cardinals signed Pierzynski to a major league deal. Later that day, he debuted for St. Louis with a 3-for-4 outing and an RBI, helping to defeat the Cubs 6–3. Former Boston teammate John Lackey soon arrived via trade, and Pierzynski caught him for the 19th time in 22 starts in 2014 when he debuted for the Cardinals on August 3. It was the pitcher's 150th career win. Pierzynski's first home run with St. Louis came in a loss to Baltimore on August 8. He hit .244/.295/.305 in 82 at-bats along with a home run and 6 RBI. He mostly serving as a replacement catcher for Yadier Molina, who was on the disabled list from July 10 through August 28, though he did play as a backup after Molina's return. The Cardinals left Pierzynski off the playoff roster for the NLDS against the Dodgers, but added him for the NLCS against the Giants. Atlanta Braves Pierzynski and the Atlanta Braves finalized a one-year deal worth $2 million on January 7, 2015. The Braves had intended to use him as a backup catcher and mentor to Christian Bethancourt. However, Bethancourt struggled defensively and was eventually sent down to Gwinnett in the hope that he would improve, forcing Pierzynski into a starting role. On July 18, 2015, in a game against the Chicago Cubs, Pierzynski broke up Jon Lester's no-hit bid in the eighth inning of the Braves' 4–0 loss. On April 27, 2016, Pierzynski recorded his 2,000th career hit off Steven Wright of the Boston Red Sox, becoming the tenth catcher to reach the 2,000 hit mark. He was placed on 15-day disabled list on August 17, 2016. On March 28, 2017, Pierzynski announced he was retiring. Pierzynski was included on the ballot for the National Baseball