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Ex-Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher retires after nine MLB seasons

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
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May 5 2025, 3:51 pm
Ex-Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher retires after nine MLB seasons
John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports

A big part of the early 2020s Toronto Blue Jays teams is calling it a career.

“After 13 seasons and full of tremendous pride and gratitude, it’s time to hang up the cleats. I never could have imagined the experiences and memories I’d be a part of,” former Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling wrote in a post on X. “They exceeded every hope that my younger self could have dreamt for my baseball career. It never could have been possible without my family and friends.”

A starting pitcher throughout much of his time in Toronto, Stripling had a 15-13 record with an ERA of 3.94, 218 strikeouts, and two saves in 61 appearances for the Blue Jays in his career, playing for the team from 2020 to 2022.

He spent nine seasons in the majors, also playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics during his time as a pro.

“I had so much love and support along the way, and I’m thankful to everyone that was a part of it in any form or fashion,” Stripling added. “All of you helped me be the best baseball player I could be. This has been an unbelievable honour, and I feel incredibly lucky to be so fulfilled and content with leaving the game behind. Now, I’m excited to be home and begin the next chapter of life with my amazing family.”

Stripling shared in a 2023 interview with Sportsnet that he had interest in re-signing with Toronto, but a contract clause made him ultimately depart for San Francisco on a two-year, US$25-million deal.

“I loved my time in Toronto and they were in the mix to the very end,” Stripling said in an interview with Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. “Essentially, what it came down to was the Giants offered me an opt-out after the first year, and the Blue Jays wouldn’t. That made it a no-brainer, really… they literally had the same offer as the Giants, just no opt-out.”

Stripling ultimately was traded from San Francisco to Oakland after one season, and signed a minor-league contract with the Kansas City Royals this past spring, but failed to make the Opening Day roster and ultimately requested a release from the deal.

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