Former Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling retires after nine MLB seasons
Ross Stripling is ready to say goodbye to baseball. The nine-year MLB veteran announced via social media on Monday that he’s hanging up his cleats and calling it a career.
Ross Stripling is ready to say goodbye to baseball.
The nine-year MLB veteran announced via social media on Monday that he’s hanging up his cleats and calling it a career.
“I never could have imagined the experiences and memories I’d be a part of,” the former Toronto Blue Jays starter said in a post on X. “They exceeded every hope that my younger self could have dreamt of for a baseball career … Now, I’m excited to be home and begin the next chapter of my like with my amazing family.”
The 35-year-old was drafted twice before making it to the majors, first by the Colorado Rockies in the ninth round of the 2011 draft, then by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round a year later.
Stripling’s MLB debut came on April 8, 2016, when he was pulled after throwing 7.1 no-hit innings in a matchup with the San Francisco Giants in an eventual 3-2 loss.
He was named to the National League All-Star team in 2018 after posting a 3.02 ERA with an 8-6 record during his best season in the majors.
‘Chicken Strip’ joined the Toronto Blue Jays in August 2020, when he was acquired for two players to be named later from the Dodgers. He was a key part of the Blue Jays’ rotation during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, posting a 3.94 ERA and a 15-13 record during that span.
He signed as a free agent with the Giants ahead of the 2023 season before heading to the Athletics in 2024.
The Kansas City Royals released him earlier this spring after he appeared in five Grapefruit League contests with a 14.36 ERA.
