The final game of Lonnie Chisenhall’s major-league career was for the Cleveland Indians. A year’s worth of his final paychecks, though, came from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
During a ceremony to retire his number at the North Carolina middle school he attended, Chisenhall acknowledged his MLB career is over.
“I’ve only played 29 games in the past two years,” Chisenhall said during a Q&A session with students, according to carolinacoastonline.com. “So between that, and I have three kids at home, they are all in school, traveling around the country wasn’t practical anymore. It was a pretty easy decision.”
Lonnie Chisenhall Retires https://t.co/qlnbEqBd59 pic.twitter.com/zbaCB3p9Ou
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) February 24, 2020
Chisenhall spent all eight of the seasons he played in MLB (2011-18) with the Cleveland Indians, the team that took him with a first-round pick in 2008. At age 30 last winter, Chisenhall signed with the Pirates to be a veteran outfielder and placeholder until Gregory Polanco returned from shoulder surgery.
But the calf injuries that slowed him late in his tenure with Cleveland arose almost immediately upon playing for the Pirates in spring training, and he opened the regular-season on the injured list.
Although that ostensibly was because of a broken finger the result of being hit by a pitch, the calf injury resurfaced during his rehab. Chisenhall was shut down, went home and was never seen from again in Pittsburgh. The Pirates had nothing to show from their $2.75 million investment.
Chisenhall’s career ended with a .268/.320/.427 slash line and 64 home runs. He appeared in three postseasons with the Indians, including going 2 for 16 during the 2016 World Series loss to the Chicago Cubs.
“There are too many people to thank,” Chisenhall said of his MLB career, according to www.carolinacoastonline.com. “Coach Sproul is one of them. I always say that odds are, if you think you had a hand in my career or my life in general, chances are you played a part in it, so thank you.”
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