"It's time": Longtime major league reliever Steve Cishek plans to retire

Relief pitcher Steve Cishek, who pitched for the Washington Nationals in 2022, announced his plans to retire. The 36-year-old Cishek carved out a 13-year major league career, pitching exclusively out of the bullpen for eight different MLB teams.

“It’s time,” Cishek told Rich Maclone of The Bourne Enterprise newspaper in Cishek's hometown of Falmouth, Massachusetts. “It’s gotten harder for me to bounce back game-to-game. The ball wasn’t coming out as crisp as before, and it felt like I had to pitch differently. I know I’ll get the bug and want to get back out there, but I don’t think I’m pulling a Tom Brady.”

While no one will be comparing Cishek to seven-time NFL Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, the side-arming reliever with a devastating sinker did see his share of success during his decade-plus stint in MLB.

Steve Cishek debuted with the Miami Marlins in the autumn of 2010. He pitched in three games that season, but became a mainstay of the Marlins' bullpen the in 2011, logging a 2.63 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 45 appearances. He struck out nearly a quarter of the batters he faced (55 of 229) in earning the first three of his career 133 saves.

Steve Cishek had a brief, successful run as a closer

Steve Cishek's successful 2011 campaign led him to share the closer's role with Heath Bell in 2012. He finished second to Bell with 15 saves that season to go with a 2.69 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings.

In 2013, with Bell traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cishek took over full-time closing duties with Miami and led the major leagues with 62 finished games. He tallied 34 saves with a 2.33 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, while notching 74 strikeouts in 69 games.

Cishek's most dominant season was in 2014. In his second year as a Marlins closer, he logged a career-best 39 saves and 84 strikeouts, though his ERA and WHIP did tick up to 3.17 and 1.21, respectively.

However, Cishek quickly fell from grace. Mechanical issues in 2015 led to his demotion to the minor leagues with hopes of finding a fix. The Marlins moved on to A.J. Ramos as the team's closer, who performed well, leading to Florida trading Cishek to the St. Louis Cardinals.

He bounced around the majors from that point on, regaining the closer's role once with the Seattle Mariners in 2016, posting 25 saves with a 2.81 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 76 strikeouts before a hip injury derailed his season. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays the following season.

While his closing days were over after that, Cishek remained an effective middle reliever for the Rays, Chicago Cubs, White Sox, and Los Angeles Angels through 2021. In 2022, he pitched what was to be his last season, appearing in 69 games for the Nationals.