Bissell Announces Retirement
BARRIE - The Barrie Baycats Baseball Club announced today the retirement of pitcher Brad Bissell.
The greatest pitcher in franchise history, Bissell retires as the Baycats' all-time pitching leader in seasons played (17), games played (161), games started (108), innings pitched (748.1), wins (62), and strikeouts (612).
Apart of all seven championship teams in franchise history, the four-time All-Star was named as one of the top 100 players in Intercounty Baseball League [IBL] history in 2018.
Baycats president David Mills congratulated Bissell on his terrific IBL career that concluded on September 8th, 2019 when he pitched the ninth inning of game six in the 2019 Jack and Lynne Dominico Championship Series.
"We sincerely appreciate what Bissell has provided to this Baycats organization. On and off the field he was truly respected not only as a player but as a family man. He gave us seventeen years of true quality baseball. His pitching stats will probably last forever on top of our franchise's charts."
A member of the Baycats since 2002, Bissell thanks the organization and his teammates for everything.
"Thank you to the entire Baycats organization. Thank you for letting me grow as a person and for embracing my young family as if they were their own. This wasn’t an easy choice and one I didn’t take lightly. However with so many of my closest, now life long friends also choosing to step away, it was time.
"You couldn’t write a better ending to my career. The last pitch I’ll ever throw resulted in an out that won our group's 6th championship in a row.
“I want to thank my family for being my biggest supporters and my best fans. However, it’s time for their aspersions to take centre stage and for me to play the supporting role however I can.
“I want to personally thank Gary Calvert, the man who brought me into this organization as an 18-year-old kid. He believed in me and my abilities and has been one of the best mentors a young man could ever have.
"To Mills and the rest of the 'brass', thank you for making this organization what it is today. The best-run franchise in the IBL.
“Finally, to my guys. I couldn’t have picked a better group of idiots to run with for these last seventeen years. Raps in 8!"
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Photo: Brian Backland/Brian Backland Photography