Chance Sisco’s baseball journey came to an end Friday, with the former Orioles and Mets catcher announcing on Instagram that he is retiring from professional baseball at 31.
“After 14 years of playing professional baseball, I’ve decided it’s time to retire from playing the game I’ve dedicated most of my life to,” Sisco wrote. “Baseball has given me more than I could have ever imagined. The opportunity to play for organizations like the Orioles, Mets, Mariners, Twins, Cardinals, Duck’s and Dog’s, compete at the highest levels, and make memories that will stay with me forever is something I’ll always be grateful for.”
Sisco’s major league career wrapped up with four games for the Mets in 2021, but he kept playing after that. This past season, he was with the Chicago Dogs of the independent Atlantic Association and put together a strong line, batting .315/.430/.546 across 65 games. It was his fourth straight season in the AA.
Over five MLB seasons with Baltimore and New York, Sisco hit .197/.317/.334 with 16 home runs in 517 at-bats. The Orioles drafted him in the second round in 2013, and he reached the majors four years later as a September call-up.
His first taste of the big leagues was a loud one. In his first 10 games, he batted .333/.455/.778. His first MLB hit was a double against the Yankees, and he followed it with his first major league homer in the same game.
One of the more unusual moments of his Orioles tenure came on May 12, 2018, when Sisco stole home as part of a double steal. According to the Orioles, he became the first Baltimore catcher to steal home since records began in 1974, and the first Oriole to steal home for his first career stolen base since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1982.
Baltimore designated him for assignment in June 2021, and he finished that season with the Mets. He later had a spring training tryout with the Mariners in 2022, but was released and spent the rest of that year with the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A affiliate.
After that, Sisco’s path stayed mostly in independent ball. Aside from a seven-game stint with the St. Louis Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in 2024, he spent the final four years of his career in independent minor league baseball.
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