Former Baltimore Orioles Reliever Announces Retirement from Baseball

This left-handed reliever spent four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and eight years in the Major Leagues.

Matthew Postins | Feb 12, 2025

Sep 20, 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Richard Bleier (48) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Evan Habeeb-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

Richard Bleier, a left-handed reliever who spent four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, announced his retirement on Instagram on Tuesday.

Among those that congratulated him on his retirement via an Instagram reply was former Orioles teammate Adam Jones.

Bleier last pitched in the Majors in 2023 with the Boston Red Sox. He spent part of last season with the Washington Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate.

Along with his Major League career, he pitched twice for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, most recently in 2023.

Bleier joined the Orioles right before spring training in 2017 after he was traded by the New York Yankees for cash considerations. By that point he had played professionally for nearly a decade after he was taken in the sixth round of the 2008 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers.

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A post shared by Richard Bleier (@richardbleier)

He played college baseball at Florida Gulf Coast University, the same school that produced reigning National League Cy Young winner Chris Sale.

He started that season in Triple-A but was eventually called up and became an effective reliever for Baltimore. In 57 games he had a 1.99 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 13 walks in 63.1 innings. He quickly developed a reputation for inducing ground balls and getting hitters to swing-and-miss.

In 2018 he was just as effective before he suffered a season-ending lat tear. In 31 games he had a 1.99 ERA with 15 strikeouts and four walks in 32.2 innings.

He returned in 2019, but his ERA soared to 5.37 in 53 games, as he struck out 30 and walked eight in 55.1 innings. He gave up 33 earned runs.

He started the 2020 season with the Orioles, as he pitched in just two games. Baltimore traded him to Miami, where he was instrumental in the Marlins making the playoffs. He had a 2.63 ERA in 19 appearances, as he struck out seven and walked four in 13.2 innings.

He remained with the Marlins for the next two seasons. He had a career-high 68 appearances in 2021, where he posted a 2.95 ERA and struck out a career-high 44 hitters. The following season he had a 3.55 ERA in 55 games with 32 strikeouts and 20 walks.

He spent 2023 with Boston after Miami traded him. Injuries limited him to 27 games, and he finished with a 5.27 ERA. The Red Sox released him after he cleared waivers.

Bleier finished with a 15-6 record and a 3.27 ERA for his career. He struck out 187 and walked 54.

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